or all his learning. I forget what he said or did next; but
by-and-by there was a colloquy in a whisper between him and some person
unseen, and they say that this unseen whisper was very sweet, and
something like the chords of a harp, only low and very articulate. The
parson whispered, 'God gives a sinner time.' The sweet voice answered,
'He can afford to; he is the stronger.' Then the parson adjured the
unseen one to wait a year and a day. But he refused, still in the
gentlest voice. Then the parson said these words: 'By all we love and
fear, by all you fear and hate, I adjure you to loose her, or wait till
next Christmas Eve.'

"I suppose the Evil Spirit saw some trap in that proposal, for he is
said to have laughed most musically. He answered, 'By all I fear
and hate, I'll loose her never; but, but I'll wait for her--till the
candle's burnt out;' and he chuckled most musically again.

"'Then wait to all eternity,' the parson roared; and blew the candle out
directly, and held it, with his hands crossed over it."

Grace Carden's eyes sparkled in the firelight. "Go on," she cried,
excitedly.

"The girl was loosed easily enough after that; but she was found to be
in a swoon; and not the least bruised, though ten villagers had been
pulling at her one after another."

"And what became of her afterward?"

"She lived to be ninety-six, and died in my time. I think she had money
left her. But she never married; and when she was old she wandered about
the lanes, muttering, and frightening little boys, myself among the
number. But now my little story follows another actor of the tale."

"Oh, I'm so glad it is not over."

"No. The parson took the candle away, and it was never seen again. But,
somehow, it got wind that he had built it into the wall of the church;
perhaps he didn't say so, but was only understood to say so. However,
people used to look round the church for the place. And now comes
the most remarkable thing of all; three years ago the present rector
repaired the floor of the chancel, intending to put down encaustic
tiles. Much to his surprise, the workmen found plenty of old encaustic
tiles; they had been interred as rubbish at some period, when antiquity
and beauty were less respected than they are now, I suppose."

Mr. Raby broke in, "The Puritans. Barbarians! beasts! It was just like
them. Well, sir--?"

"When the rector found that, he excavated more than was absolutely
necessary for his purpose, and