the end.

For a long while past Willows and his friends had ceased to give any
thought to the worldly goods, standing together intently watching for
the danger they felt must come, and watching as it were in vain; for,
save its ragged edge, from whence stones had been torn, the green and
mossy old wall stood intact. The sluices still roared; along the great
chute a solid-looking mass of crystal water rushed and gleamed and
flashed before it bent over in a glorious curve to plunge on to the
wheel and break in spray, while the men laughed and joked merrily, as
they made a play of their heavy toil and shouted gaily to the two groups
of watchers--their wives and children and work-mates--who shouted
encouragingly back.

And all at once, as if hoping to lighten their labours--lovers of music
as these people are--a shrill, musical, woman's voice arose, starting a
familiar chorus, which was taken up directly by the young, to rise and
fall and swell along the valley, the sweet soprano tones supported by
the roaring waters' heavy bass.

"Bravo! Bravo!" shouted the Vicar, huskily, and as he spoke Will
noticed that his voice sounded strange, and in the glance he obtained he
noted that his eyes were filled with tears.

The next minute he was hurrying up towards his people, walking-stick in
hand, to leap upon a stone where he could be well seen by the choral
singers on either side of the vale, and there for about a minute he
stood, waving his baton-like stick, conducting his strange double choir,
who sang more loudly their cheery mill-song, and at their best, till in
an instant, like a thunderclap, there was a sharp report, the song
became a wail of agony, and the voice of the master was heard above all,
crying--

"For your lives, men, run!"

It could only have been for a few seconds, during which nothing seemed
to happen save that there was the patter and scramble of many feet as
with one accord all seemed to have made for safety, while, as that haven
was reached, all turned their eyes towards the dam, to look in wonder,
seeking as they did in vain for the cause of that sharp report.

Another or two of those strangely drawn-out seconds passed, and then the
watchers had their reward. The great, green, mossy wall, with all its
luxuriance of orange-tinted bracken and golden fern, seemed to shiver as
if touched by a passing wind. Then the quivering motion ceased, the
whole centre crumbled softly down, and it was as if some h