Avon Fantasy Reader No. 12 — page 116: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

tell you everything that happened all in a minute. Of course there was a terrible commotion. I heard the slab fall out, and the crowbar on the floor, and I heard the Dean say, ‘Good God!’ “When I looked down again I saw the Dean tumbled over on the floor, the men was making off down the choir, Henslow was just going to help the Dean up, Palmer was going to stop the men (as he sai afterwards) and my father was sitting on the altar step with his face in his hands. The Dean he was very cross. ‘I wish to goodness you'd look where you're coming to, Henslow,’ he says. ‘Why you should all take to your heels when a stick of wood tumbles down I cannot im- agiue’; and all Henslow could do, explaining he was right away on the other side of the tomb, would not satisfy him. “Then Palmer came back and reported there was nothing to account for this noise and nothing seemingly fallen down, and when the Dean finished feeling of himself they gathered round—except my father, he sat where he was—and someone lighted up a bit of candle and they looked into the tomb. ‘Nothing there,’ says the Dean, ‘what did I tell you? Stay! here's something, What’s this? a bit of music paper, and a piece of torn stuff—part of a dress it looks like. Both quite modem— no interest whatever, Another time perhaps you'll take the advice of an educated man’—or soinething like that, and off he went, limping a bit, and out through the north door, only as he went he called back angry to Palmer for leaving the door standing open. Palmer called out ‘Very sorry, sir,” but he shrugged his shoulders, and Henslow says, ‘I fancy Mr. Dean’s mistaken. 1 closed the door behind me, but he’s a little upset.’ Then Palmer says, ‘Why, where's Worby?” and they saw him sitting on the step and went up to him. He was recovering himself, it scemed, and wiping his forehead, and Palmer helped him up on to his legs, as L was glad to see. “They were too far off for me to hear what they said, but my father pointed to the north door in the aisle, and Palmer and Ilenslow both of then looked very surprised and scared. After a bit, my father and Henslow went out of the church, and the others made what haste the; could to put the slab back and plaster it in. And about as the clock stcuck twelve the Cathedral was opened again and us boys made the best of our way home. “I was in a great taking to know what it was had given my poor father such a turn, and when | got in and found him sitting in his chair taking a glass of spirits, and my mother standing looking anxious at him, I couldn't Keep from bursting out and making confession where I'd been. But he didn’t seem to take on, not in the way of losing his temper. “You was there, was you? Well, did you sce it?’ ‘I see everything, father,’ I said, ‘except when the noise came.’ ‘Did you see what it was knocked the Dean over?’ he says, ‘that what come out of the monument? You didn’t? Well, that’s a mercy. ‘Why, what was it, 114 comichbooks.com