timbrell, ye pleasant harp and ye violl," and reinsist with six parts,
and a red capital letter, "ye pleasant harp and ye violl."

It was a great place for dust, the organ-loft--dust that fell, and dust
that rose; dust of wormy wood, dust of crumbling leather, dust of
tattered mothy curtains that were dropping to pieces, dust of primeval
green baize; but Mr Sharnall had breathed the dust for forty years, and
felt more at home in that place than anywhere else. If it was Crusoe's
island, he was Crusoe, monarch of all he surveyed.

"Here, you can take this key," he said one day to Westray; "it unlocks
the staircase-door; but either tell me when to expect you, or make a
noise as you come up the steps. I don't like being startled. Be sure
you push the door to after you; it fastens itself. I am always
particular about keeping the door locked, otherwise one doesn't know
what stranger may take it into his head to walk up. I can't bear being
startled." And he glanced behind him with a strange look in his eyes.

A few days before the Bishop's visit Westray was with Mr Sharnall in
the organ-loft. He had been there through most of the service, and, as
he sat on his stool in the corner, had watched the curious diamond
pattern of light and dark that the clerestory windows made with the
vaulting-ribs. Anyone outside would have seen islands of white cloud
drifting across the blue sky, and each cloud as it passed threw the
heavy chevroned diagonals inside into bold relief, and picked out that
rebus of a carding-comb encircled by a wreath of vine-leaves which
Nicholas Vinnicomb had inserted for a vaulting-boss.

The architect had learned to regard the beetling roof with an almost
superstitious awe, and was this day so fascinated with the strange
effect as to be scarcely aware that the service was over till Mr
Sharnall spoke.

"You said you would like to hear my service in D flat--`Sharnall in D
flat,' did you not? I will play it through to you now, if you care to
listen. Of course, I can only give you the general effect, without
voices, though, after all, I don't know that you won't get quite as good
an idea of it as you could with any voices that we have here."

Westray woke up from his dreams and put himself into an attitude of
proper attention, while Mr Sharnall played the service from a faded
manuscript.

"Now," he said, as he came towards the end--"now listen. This is the
best part of it--a fugal _Gloria_, ending