A greenish smoke of stifling odour rose and filled all the place, and
through it the huge horned figure above the altar seemed to turn its
head and look at the boy.
Laurence could scarcely repress a cry of terror. He set his hand to
the door, and lo! as it had opened, so it appeared to shut of itself.
He sank almost fainting against the cold iron bars of the window which
looked out upon the courtyard below. The wind blew in upon him sweet
and cool, and with it there came again the sound of the singing of the
choir. They were practising the song of the Holy Innocents, which, by
command of the marshal himself, Precentor Renouf had set to excellent
and accordant music of his own invention.
"_A voice was heard in Ramah,
In Ramah,
Lamentations and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refused to be comforted:
For her children,
Because they were not._"
Obviously there was some mistake or lack of attention on the part of
the choir, for the last line had to be repeated three times.
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