s
come up river in their ships and then walked the rest o' the way across
the mash?"

"Oh, but it might be a bit of horse skin."

"Nay, nay, don't you go backslidin' and thinking such a thing as that,
mester. Why, theer was a party o' larned gentlemen come one day all
t'way fro' Lincoln, and looked at it through little tallerscope things,
and me standing close by all the time to see as they didn't steal nowt,
for them sort's terruble folk for knocking bits off wi' hammers as they
carries in their pockets and spreadin' bits o' calico over t' brasses,
and rubbin' 'em wi' heel balls same as I uses for edges of soles; and
first one and then another of 'em says--`Human.' That's what they says.
Ay, lad, that's true enough, and been here to this day."

"Ah, well, open the door, Mike, and let's go in. I don't believe people
would have been such wretches as to skin a man, even if he was a Dane,
and then nail the skin up there. But if they did, it wouldn't have
lasted."

The sexton shook his head very solemnly and turned the great key, the
rusty lock-bolt shooting back reluctantly, and the door turning slowly
on its hinges, which gave forth a dismal creak.

"Here, let's give them a drop of oil," cried Vane; but the sexton held
the bottle behind him.

"Nay, nay," he said; "they're all right enew. Let 'em be, lad."

"How silent it seems without the old clock ticking," said Vane, looking
up at the groined roof where, in place of bosses to ornament the
handsome old ceiling of the belfry, there were circular holes intended
to pour more lead and arrows upon besiegers, in case they made their way
through the door, farther progress being through a narrow lancet archway
and up an extremely small stone spiral staircase toward which Vane
stepped, but the sexton checked him.

"Nay, Mester, I go first," he said.

"Look sharp then."

But the only thing sharp about the sexton were his awls and cutting
knives, and he took an unconscionably long time to ascend to the floor
above them where an opening in the staircase admitted them to a square
chamber, lighted by four narrow lancet windows, and into which hung down
from the ceiling, and through as many holes, eight ropes, portions of
which were covered with worsted to soften them to the ringers' hands.

Vane made a rush for the rope of the tenor bell, but the sexton uttered
a cry of horror.

"Nay, nay, lad," he said, as soon as he got his breath, "don't pull:
'twould make 'em