cook and the cook's cousin that she had seen a
ghost. It was quite untrue, of course, but I suppose the girl's nerves
were a little upset by the yelling.

"One, two, three!" The Vicar was on his doorstep by this time, and there
was no mistaking the yell that greeted him.

"Goodness me," he said to his wife, "my dear, someone's being murdered
in the church! Give me my hat and a thick stick, and tell Andrew to come
after me. I expect it's the lunatic who stole the tongue."

The children had seen the flash of light when the Vicar opened his front
door. They had seen his dark form on his doorstep, and they had paused
for breath, and also to see what he would do.

When he turned back for his hat, Cyril said hastily--

"He thinks he only fancied he heard something. You don't half yell! Now!
One, two, three!"

It was certainly a whole yell this time, and the Vicar's wife flung her
arms round her husband and screamed a feeble echo of it.

"You shan't go!" she said, "not alone. Jessie!"--the maid unfainted and
came out of the kitchen,--"send Andrew at once. There's a dangerous
lunatic in the church, and he must go immediately and catch him."

"I expect he _will_ catch it too," said Jessie to herself as she went
through the kitchen door. "Here, Andrew," she said, "there's someone
screaming like mad in the church, and the missus says you're to go along
and catch it."

"Not alone, I don't," said Andrew in low firm tones. To his master he
merely said, "Yis sir."

"You heard those screams?"

"I did think I noticed a sort of something," said Andrew.

"Well, come on, then," said the Vicar. "My dear, I _must_ go!" He pushed
her gently into the sitting-room, banged the door, and rushed out,
dragging Andrew by the arm.

A volley of yells greeted them. Then as it died into silence Andrew
shouted, "Hullo, you there! Did you call?"

"Yes," shouted four far-away voices.

"They seem to be in the air," said the Vicar. "Very remarkable."

"Where are you?" shouted Andrew; and Cyril replied in his deepest
voice, very slow and loud--

"CHURCH! TOWER! TOP!"

"Come down, then!" said Andrew; and the same voice replied--

"_Can't! Door locked!_"

"My goodness!" said the Vicar. "Andrew, fetch the stable lantern.
Perhaps it would be as well to fetch another man from the village."

"With the rest of the gang about, very likely. No, sir; if this 'ere
ain't a trap--well, may I never! There's cook's cousin at the back door
now. He'