Part 21 (1/2)

CHAPTER XV -- RINGING THE CURFEW

”If the bell have any sides the clapper will find 'em.”-- --_Ben Jonson_.

”----ringing changes all our bells hath marr'd, Jangled they have and jarr'd So long, they're out of tune, and out of frame;

They seem not now the same.

Put them in frame anew, and once begin To tune them so, that they may chime all in.”

--_Herbert_.

”Great then are the mysteries of bell-ringing: and this may be said in its praise, that of all devices which men have sought out for obtaining distinction by making a noise in the world, it is the most harmless.”

--_The Doctor_.

AS we proceeded through the town Lawless, despite our endeavours to restrain him, chose to vent his superabundant spirits by performing sundry feats at the expense of the public, which, had the police regulations of the place been properly attended to, would have a.s.suredly gained us a sojourn in the watch-house. We had just prevailed upon him to move on, after singing ”We won't go home till morning” under the windows of ”the Misses Properprim's Seminary for Young Ladies,” when a little shrivelled old man, in a sort of watchman's white greatcoat, bearing a horn lantern in his hand, brushed past us, and preceded us down the street at a shuffling trot.

”Holloa!” cried Lawless, ”who's that old picture of ugliness? Look what a pace the beggar's cutting along at! what on earth's he up to?”

”That's the s.e.xton and bell-ringer,” returned Coleman; ”they keep up the old custom at Hillingford of ringing the curfew at daybreak, and he's going about it now, I suppose.”

”What jolly fun!” said Lawless; ”come on, and let's see how the old c.o.c.k does it; ”and, suiting the action to the word, off he started in pursuit.

”We'd better follow him,” said I; ”he'll be getting into some mischief or other, depend upon it.”

After running a short distance down the street, on turning a corner we found Lawless standing under a small arched door-way leading into a curious old battlemented tower, which did not form part of any church or other building of the same date as itself, but stood alone, -130--showing, as it reared its time-worn head high above the more modern dwellings of which the street was composed, like some giant relic of the days of old. This tower contained a peal of bells, the fame of which was great in that part of the country, and of which the townspeople were justly proud.

”All right!” cried Lawless; ”the old scarecrow ran in here like a lamp-lighter, as soon he saw me bowling after him, and has left the key in the lock; so I shall take the liberty of exploring a little; I've a strong though undeveloped taste for architectural antiquities. Twopence more, and up goes the donkey! come along!”

So saying, he flung open the door, and disappeared up some steps leading to the interior of the tower, and, after a moment's hesitation, Coleman and I followed him.

”Don't be alarmed, old boy!” observed Lawless, patting the s.e.xton (who looked frightened out of his wits at our intrusion) so forcibly on the back as to set him coughing violently; ”we're not come to murder you for the sake of your lantern.”

”This gentleman,” said Coleman, who by the cunning twinkle of his eye was evidently becoming possessed by the spirit of mischief, ”has been sent down by the Venerable Society of Antiquaries to ascertain whether the old custom of ringing the Curfew is properly performed here. He is, in fact, no other than the n.o.ble President of the Society himself. That gentleman (pointing to me) is the Vice-President, and I, who have the honour of addressing you, am the unworthy Secretary.”

”That's it, Daddy,” resumed Lawless, coolly taking up the lantern, and lighting a cigar; ”that's the precise state of the poll, I mean case; so now go to work, and mind you do the trick properly.”

Thus adjured, the old man, who appeared completely bewildered by all that was going on, mechanically took hold of a rope, and began slowly and at stated intervals tolling one of the bells.

”Where are your a.s.sistants, my good man?” inquired Coleman after a short pause.--The only answer was a stare of vacant surprise, and Coleman continued, ”Why, you don't mean to say you only ring one bell, to be sure? oh, this is all wrong:--what do you say, Mr. President?”

”Wrong?” replied Lawless, removing the cigar from his mouth and puffing a cloud of smoke into the s.e.xton's face, ”I should just think it _was_, most particularly and confoundedly wrong. I'll tell you what it is, old death's-head and cross-bones; things can't be allowed to go on -131--in this manner. Reform, sir, is wanting, 'the bill, the whole bill, and nothing but the bill'. I mean to get into Parliament some day, Fairlegh, when I am tired of knocking about, you know--but that wasn't exactly what I was going to say.”

”Suppose we show him the proper way to do it, Mr. President!” suggested Freddy, catching hold of the rope of one of the bells.

”Off she goes,” cried Lawless, seizing another.

”Gentlemen, good gentlemen, don't ring the bells, pray,” implored the old man, ”you'll raise the whole town; they are never rung in that way without there's a fire, or a flood, or the riot act read, or something of that dreadful natur the matter.”

But his expostulations were vain. Lawless had already begun ringing his bell in a manner which threatened to stun us all; and Coleman saying to me, ”Come, Frank, we're regularly in for it, so you may as well take a rope and do the thing handsomely while we _are_ about it; it would be horridly shabby of you to desert us now,” I hastened to follow his example.

Now it must be known that when I arrived at the inn, before supper, owing probably to a combination of the fatigue of the day, the excitement of the evening and the pain of my arm, I felt somewhat faint and exhausted, and should have greatly preferred going at once quietly to bed; but, as I was aware that by so doing I should break up the party I resolved to keep up as well as I could, and say nothing about it.