Incidents of childhood

by Anonymous

Though Harold was rather tired with his afternoon’s ramble, he retraced his steps towards the church at a brisk pace: indeed, as the sun was just set, the evening was cool and pleasant. When he arrived at the church, he found the door into the tower still open; and observing the old woman’s pail and mop still standing at the vestry door, he concluded that she would not leave the church before he should have found the parcel; and he did not go in to speak to her, because he knew he could not make her understand what his business was; and he thought, perhaps, she might not permit him to go into the belfry.

It was now quite dark within the narrow winding staircase that led to the belfry; and when he reached the chamber, there was too little light to find the parcel, except by feeling about for it: he therefore crawled about on his hands and knees; going from side to side of the chamber: he examined the whole floor in this way, but no parcel was to be found; he had unfortunately forgotten to ask his brother exactly where he had left it.

In one corner of the chamber there were some old hassocks and matting; and among these, at last, he found a parcel, which he had no doubt was the one he was in search of; and smelling it, he was satisfied that it was medicine: this gave him more pleasure than little boys or girls usually feel at the smell of medicine.

As Harold was feeling his way to the staircase, he heard the old woman coughing below, and just as he set his foot upon the first step to descend, he heard her bang-to the door at the bottom of the staircase; and presently afterwards, the door of the tower also. Harold, at first called out with all his might: but he recollected that this could be of no service; as she was quite deaf: he hurried down to the foot of the staircase, but found the door fast locked: he then went up again into the belfry; and looked out of the open window, through which, as was mentioned before, he had seen his brother put his head: from this window he saw the old woman sitting on the horsing-block at the church-yard gate, resting herself, and he could hear her cough. Though he had no hope of making her hear, he continued to call to her as loud as possible; but there she sat, till her fit of coughing was over; and then she rose, locked the church-yard gate; and slowly walked away.

It must be confessed that Harold did not at all like his present situation; and when he thought of having to spend the whole night in this lonely belfry, he was very near bursting into tears. Indeed, we are not quite sure that he did not cry a little.

He soon, however, recollected that his brother had probably by this time reached home, and told his Papa what had occurred: he felt little doubt, therefore, that his Papa would send a servant, or come himself to release him: and so he was comforted with the hope of being set at liberty in a short time: he resolved to continue watching at the Belfry window, that he might call to any one who might happen to pass by the church-yard. The moon was now risen, and shone bright upon the white tomb-stones.

“Though it is very uncomfortable and very dismal,” said Harold to himself, “to be shut up here all alone; I need not be frightened; because there is nothing really to hurt me; and besides, God is here, as well as at home.”

He was a little startled when the clock struck directly over his head: the noise made his ears tingle; and when it had struck nine strokes, the sound continued to ring in the tower for a long while.

Harold began now to feel sleepy: he rested his head on his hands, as he leaned on the window-sill, and almost forgot where he was, when he was roused suddenly, by hearing a rustling noise in one corner of the belfry: presently afterwards he perceived something white moving round and round over his head, and gradually coming lower; at length it darted close by him out of the window at which he stood: on looking out after it, he saw that it was a white owl: it continued to hover about the tower for some time, and then flew off in a straight line towards a neighbouring wood.

But we must now leave Harold in the belfry; and say what Archibald has been doing all this time.