ver all. He took
out his watch. The little place is gone to tea, he thought, and walked
on with a light heart, and more at his ease than he had ever felt before
in his life.

He came round a bend in the street, and suddenly saw a great crowd
before him, between him and the market-place over which the minster
church watched, and knew that something must be happening, that had
drawn the people from the other parts of the town. As he came nearer it
seemed as if the whole population was there collected. Conspicuous was
pompous Canon Parkyn, and by him stood Mrs Parkyn, and tall and
sloping-shouldered Mr Noot. The sleek dissenting minister was there,
and the jovial, round-faced Catholic priest. There stood Joliffe, the
pork-butcher, in shirt-sleeves and white apron in the middle of the
road; and there stood Joliffe's wife and daughters, piled up on the
steps of the shop, and craning their necks towards the market-place.
The postmaster and his clerk and two letter-carriers had come out from
the post-office. All the young ladies and young gentlemen from Rose and
Storey's establishment were herded in front of their great glittering
shop-window, and among them shone the fair curls of Mr Storey, the
junior partner, himself. A little lower down was a group of masons and
men employed on the restorations, and near them Clerk Janaway leant on
his stick.

Many of these people Lord Blandamer knew well by sight, and there was
beside a great throng of common folk, but none took any notice of him.

There was something very strange about the crowd. Everyone was looking
towards the market-place, and everyone's face was upturned as if they
were watching a flight of birds. The square was empty, and no one
attempted to advance further into it; nay, most stood in an alert
attitude, as if prepared to run the other way. Yet all remained
spellbound, looking up, with their heads turned towards the
market-place, over which watched the minster church. There was no
shouting, nor laughter, nor chatter; only the agitated murmur of a
multitude of people speaking under their breath.

The single person that moved was a waggoner. He was trying to get his
team and cart up the street, away from the market-place, but made slow
progress, for the crowd was too absorbed to give him room. Lord
Blandamer spoke to the man, and asked him what was happening. The
waggoner stared for a moment as if dazed; then recognised his
questioner, and said quic