“Frank!”

“Yes?”

“Mayn’t I say what I think?”

“No!”

* * * * *

Ah! there was the roof of the old church standing out against the stars, and there could be no more talking.  They might come upon the other two at any moment now.  They went five steps further, and there, in the shadow of the gate, burned a dull red spot of fire, that kindled up as they looked, and showed for an instant the heavy eyes of the Major with a pipe in his mouth.

* * * * *

“Good-evening, sir,” came the military voice, and the girl rose to her feet beside him.  “You’re just in time.”

“Good-evening,” said Jack dully.

“We’ve had a pleasant evening of it up here, Mr. Kirkby, after we’d stepped down and had a bit of supper at the ‘Crown.’”

“I suppose you heard my name there,” said Jack.

“Quite right, sir.”

“Give us the key,” said Frank abruptly.

He unlocked the door and pushed it back over the grass-grown gravel.

“Wait for me here, will you?” he said to Jack.

“I’m coming in.  I’ll show you where to change.”

* * * * *

Twenty yards of an irregular twisted path, over which they stumbled two or three times, led them down to the little ruined doorway at the west end of the old church.  Jack’s father had restored the place admirably, so far as restoration was possible, and there stood now, strong as ever, the old tower, roofed and floored throughout, abutting on the four roofless walls, within which ran the double row of column bases.

Jack struck a light, kindled a bicycle lamp he had brought with him, and led the way.

“Come in here,” he said.

Frank followed him into the room at the base of the tower and looked round.

“This looks all right,” he said.  “It was a Catholic church once, I suppose?

“Yes; the parson says this was the old sacristy.  They’ve found things here, I think—­cupboards in the wall, and so on.”

“This’ll do excellently,” said Frank.  “I shan’t be five minutes.”

Jack went out again without a word.  He felt it was a little too much to expect him to see the change actually being made, and the garments of sacrifice put on. (It struck him with an unpleasant shock, considering the form of his previous metaphor, that he should have taken Frank into the old sacristy.)

He sat down on the low wall, built to hold the churchyard from slipping altogether down the hill-side, and looked out over the little town below.