“Yes,” said he, “the Man speaks. He was addressing the field in a long speech when I passed on the other side of the hedge. It is a fine moonlight night. You can all come and hear him yourselves.”
“That we will!” exclaimed my papa. “We will all go directly.”
So mamma called for bonnets and shawls and handkerchiefs and cloaks and muffs, and tippets and gloves and fur boots and all sorts of things for there were several young ladies staying on a visit with us. And outside the door we found Squire Turner’s coachman with the sexton and the beadle and bell ringer and the young man who blew the bellows for the organ; in fact, all Gaffer Downes’ pupils, waiting to go with us into the large field.
Off we all set, Mr. Downes leading the way. At the end of the first field he made us all stop to listen. He asked us if any of us could hear the Man of Snow speaking. We all listened and at last said, “No!” He then told us to follow him slowly along the hedge of the second field listening all the way. We heard nothing, and again Mr. Downes stopped us at the stile leading into the great field. Very attentively we listened, but all was as silent as possible.
Mr. Downes now told us we had better wait a little and let him go first, and as soon as the Man of Snow spoke he would return and tell us to come softly. So over the stile got Mr. Downes and we soon lost sight of him as he went creeping round closely by the hedge. Well, we waited and waited but Mr. Downes did not return. We listened but we could hear nothing. Still we waited but at last papa got out of patience and said, “What can have become of Mr. Downes?”
“I hope,” said mamma, “nothing has happened to him.”
“I am determined to go and see after him,” said papa.
“Let us all go together,” said mamma. “Let us all go together, straight up towards the Man of Snow, and ask for Mr. Downes.”
It was agreed upon and we all got over the stile and went crowding together along the field, nobody liking to go first, but all keeping close, like sheep when they do not know what to do for the best.
At last we came near the great Man of Snow. Papa and the young man who blew the bellows for the organ stood in front, and next to them came the sexton, and then mamma, with all us girls climbing close around her, wrapped up in our cloaks, with only our eyes and noses to be seen; and behind us stood the rest of the pupils—and behind all, at some distance, stood the beadle. Well, there we all stood in silence, in the great, silent snow field, looking at the great silent Man of Snow with the moon shining upon his head!