ried, as it seemed, must have been beneath it at the moment of
the fall.

Knight leapt up and began endeavouring to remove the rubbish with his
hands. The heap overlying the body was for the most part fine and
dusty, but in immense quantity. It would be a saving of time to run for
assistance. He crossed to the churchyard wall, and hastened down the
hill.

A little way down an intersecting road passed over a small ridge, which
now showed up darkly against the moon, and this road here formed a
kind of notch in the sky-line. At the moment that Knight arrived at the
crossing he beheld a man on this eminence, coming towards him. Knight
turned aside and met the stranger.

'There has been an accident at the church,' said Knight, without
preface. 'The tower has fallen on somebody, who has been lying there
ever since. Will you come and help?'

'That I will,' said the man.

'It is a woman,' said Knight, as they hurried back, 'and I think we two
are enough to extricate her. Do you know of a shovel?'

'The grave-digging shovels are about somewhere. They used to stay in the
tower.'

'And there must be some belonging to the workmen.'

They searched about, and in an angle of the porch found three carefully
stowed away. Going round to the west end Knight signified the spot of
the tragedy.

'We ought to have brought a lantern,' he exclaimed. 'But we may be able
to do without.' He set to work removing the superincumbent mass.

The other man, who looked on somewhat helplessly at first, now followed
the example of Knight's activity, and removed the larger stones which
were mingled with the rubbish. But with all their efforts it was
quite ten minutes before the body of the unfortunate creature could be
extricated. They lifted her as carefully as they could, breathlessly
carried her to Felix Jethway's tomb, which was only a few steps
westward, and laid her thereon.

'Is she dead indeed?' said the stranger.

'She appears to be,' said Knight. 'Which is the nearest house? The
vicarage, I suppose.'

'Yes; but since we shall have to call a surgeon from Castle Boterel, I
think it would be better to carry her in that direction, instead of away
from the town.'

'And is it not much further to the first house we come to going that
way, than to the vicarage or to The Crags?'

'Not much,' the stranger replied.

'Suppose we take her there, then. And I think the best way to do it
would be thus, if you don't mind joining hands with me