a faint rustling, as if someone were moving
softly about in the tower above. Too terrified even to run away, they
stood with their eyes fixed on the open trapdoor that led up to the
bell.

"He's coming!" shrieked Cicely, as something large and white appeared
silently through the aperture and glided down into the room. There was a
sudden weird, uncanny cry, like a mournful, despairing wail, and a large
pair of wings flapped through the open lattice that served for a window
out into the thickness of the yew trees beyond.

"It's an owl--a big white owl! That's your ghost, Cicely!" cried
Lindsay, with intense relief.

"It's gone, at any rate. Oh, what a fright it gave me! I thought it was
Sir Mervyn himself."

"I expect it sleeps up there during the day, and then goes out hunting
at night for birds and mice. What a fearful screech it gave!"

"Let us go and ring the bell before we have any more scares."

They dashed across the room and seized the rope. Surely since the day it
was first hung the poor old bell had never been tolled with such
frantic, hurried jerks. It was like an alarm of war or fire as the
swift, short strokes went echoing from the tower. The girls pulled and
pulled until they were both nearly exhausted.

"Somebody must have heard us by this time," said Lindsay. "Let us go
down into the church and wait by the door."

"I don't feel so afraid of Sir Mervyn now I know he's only a white owl,"
declared Cicely.

They stumbled down the stairs and across the dark nave, then stood
waiting anxiously for some sign of coming relief. Was that a distant
footstep? Yes; they heard the creaking of the lich-gate, the sound of
voices, and the crunching of boots on the gravel path. They sprang at
the door, knocking and shouting for help with all their might. In
another moment the great key turned in the lock. It was Judson, the
sexton, who stood outside, with quite a number of people from the
cottages behind him. All the village had been roused by the tolling of
the bell, and everyone expected to find either a gang of thieves at work
or the building on fire, instead of only two frightened little
schoolgirls from the Manor.

At that moment both Miss Russell and Monica came hurrying up, the latter
reproaching herself keenly for not having seen her companions safely
home, and the former very angry at their escapade. As Lindsay had
supposed, they had been expected back more than an hour ago, but Miss
Russell thought Mon