Still the great waves of solem
sound went eddying on, over the hills and over the sea, and we
had to hear it all, though we stopped our ears with our fingers.
It was an immense relief to us when the last stroke of the
passing-bell was struck, and John said we could go down.
He took the key from his pocket and was fitting it into the lock,
when it slipped, beyond our reach. Now the little sister cried
again, and would not be pacified; and when I looked up and caught
John's blank, dismayed look, I began to feel like crying, too.
The question went swiftly through my mind,--How many days can we
stay up here without starving to death?--for I really thought we
should never get down out of our prison in the air: never see our
mother's face again.
But my brother's wits returned to him. He led us back to the
balcony, and shouted over the railing to a boy in the street,
making him understand that he must go and inform my father that
we were locked into the belfry. It was not long before we saw
both him and my grandfather on their way to the church.
Pages:
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150