ow morning, and had been home
about half an hour, when down it came. A very successful job--a very
fine job indeed. But he was a tough old fellow in spite of the crack.'
Here Mr. Swancourt wiped from his face the perspiration his excitement
had caused him.

'Poor old tower!' said Elfride.

'Yes, I am sorry for it,' said Knight. 'It was an interesting piece of
antiquity--a local record of local art.'

'Ah, but my dear sir, we shall have a new one, expostulated Mr.
Swancourt; 'a splendid tower--designed by a first-rate London man--in
the newest style of Gothic art, and full of Christian feeling.'

'Indeed!' said Knight.

'Oh yes. Not in the barbarous clumsy architecture of this neighbourhood;
you see nothing so rough and pagan anywhere else in England. When
the men are gone, I would advise you to go and see the church before
anything further is done to it. You can now sit in the chancel, and look
down the nave through the west arch, and through that far out to sea. In
fact,' said Mr. Swancourt significantly, 'if a wedding were performed
at the altar to-morrow morning, it might be witnessed from the deck of
a ship on a voyage to the South Seas, with a good glass. However, after
dinner, when the moon has risen, go up and see for yourselves.'

Knight assented with feverish readiness. He had decided within the last
few minutes that he could not rest another night without further talk
with Elfride upon the subject which now divided them: he was determined
to know all, and relieve his disquiet in some way. Elfride would gladly
have escaped further converse alone with him that night, but it seemed
inevitable.

Just after moonrise they left the house. How little any expectation
of the moonlight prospect--which was the ostensible reason of their
pilgrimage--had to do with Knight's real motive in getting the gentle
girl again upon his arm, Elfride no less than himself well knew.

Chapter XXXII

'Had I wist before I kist'

It was now October, and the night air was chill. After looking to see
that she was well wrapped up, Knight took her along the hillside path
they had ascended so many times in each other's company, when doubt was
a thing unknown. On reaching the church they found that one side of the
tower was, as the vicar had stated, entirely removed, and lying in the
shape of rubbish at their feet. The tower on its eastern side still
was firm, and might have withstood the shock of storms and the siege
of