as they went. The church looked dim and gloomy as they found themselves
once more in the nave. Cicely turned her back upon the monuments. She
did not want to give even a glance in their direction just then. Perhaps
Lindsay felt the same, for she also hurried quickly towards the door. To
their utter amazement it was closed, shut tight and firm; and though
they lifted the latch, and tugged and rattled and pulled with all their
might, they could not open it. They stared at each other with blank,
horror-stricken faces. They were locked up alone in the empty church!

"Let us call," quavered Cicely.

"Perhaps someone may be in the churchyard. I can't believe they've
really left us shut up here. Somebody must be coming back," said
Lindsay.

She knew in her heart of hearts all the same that it was a forlorn hope.
The old sexton had probably seen Monica walk through the village, and
had come to lock the church as usual after her practice, quite unaware
that anyone was exploring the belfry. By this time he would be at home
again, with the keys in his pocket. The two girls shouted themselves
hoarse, and kicked and beat against the door, but there was no reply
except hollow echoes that resounded from the vaulted roof. The church
was just out of earshot from either the village on one side or the
rectory on the other, and it did not seem likely that anybody would
happen to pass through the churchyard at that hour in the evening. No
doubt they would soon be missed at the Manor, but Miss Russell would be
sure to go first to Monica to enquire about their absence, and it might
therefore be some little time before anyone came to look for them inside
the church.

"What are we going to do?" asked Cicely.

"We must get out somehow," replied Lindsay desperately. "Let us walk all
round, and see if there is any window it would be possible to climb
through."

They went up the aisle, looking carefully at the windows; but all were
equally impracticable, being built high up in the walls, and the only
panes that opened were at the top.

"There may be a lower one in the vestry," said Lindsay, after they had
examined the side chapels and transepts. "Here's the door, and
fortunately it's not locked."

Again they were doomed to disappointment. The vestry was one of the
oldest portions of the building, and the tiny diamond-paned casement was
fully ten feet above their heads. Plainly it was useless to think of
escape there.

"We'd better go ba