r, "and send me a copy. This place ought to
have its poet, and it is much safer to write verses to arches than to
arched eyebrows."

Westray coloured again, and put his hand in his breast-pocket. Could he
have been so foolish as to leave those half-finished lines on his desk
for Lord Blandamer or anyone else to see? No, they were quite safe; he
could feel the sharp edge of the paper folded lengthways, which
differentiated them from ordinary letters.

"We shall just have time to go up to the roof-space, if you care to do
so," he suggested, changing the subject. "I should like to show you the
top of the transept groining, and explain what we are busy with at
present. It is always more or less dark up there, but we shall find
lanterns."

"Certainly, with much pleasure." And they climbed the newel staircase
that was carried in the north-east pier.

Clerk Janaway had been hovering within a safe distance of them as they
went their round. He was nominally busy in "putting things straight"
for the Sunday, before the church was shut up; and had kept as much out
of sight as was possible, remembering how he had withstood Lord
Blandamer to the face a week before. Yet he was anxious to meet him, as
it were, by accident, and explain that he had acted in ignorance of the
real state of affairs; but no favourable opportunity for such an
explanation presented itself. The pair had gone up to the roof, and the
clerk was preparing to lock up--for Westray had a key of his own--when
he heard someone coming up the nave.

It was Mr Sharnall, who carried a pile of music-books under his arm.

"Hallo!" he said to the clerk, "what makes _you_ so late? I expected to
have to let myself in. I thought you would have been off an hour ago."

"Well, things took a bit longer to-night than usual to put away." He
broke off, for there was a little noise somewhere above them in the
scaffolding, and went on in what was meant for a whisper: "Mr Westray's
taking his lordship round; they're up in the roof now. D'ye hear 'em?"

"Lordship! What lordship? D'you mean that fellow Blandamer?"

"Yes, that's just who I do mean. But I don't know as how he's a fellow,
and he _is_ a lordship; so that's why I call him a lordship and not a
fellow. And mid I ask what he's been doing to set _your_ back up? Why
don't you wait here for him, and talk to him about the organ? Maybe,
now he's in the giving mood, he'd set it right for 'ee, or anyways give
'