Page 69 - Fairbrass

this miracle in a place where they accepted
miracles as matters of fact, there would

surely have been a panic, but the Knight
knew all about that, and timed his signal

well* Nobody saw it but the captive
swallow and Fairbrass, The poor swallow

was so frightened and bewildered that,
in 'sheer mistake it blundered through the
open window that had been its forgotten

entrance to the church, and which it had

vainly endeavoured to find, and so made
good its escape; but Fairbrass was delighted.
That knightly wink conveyed to him the

message, £ I can talk to you, my boy, just

as the other supposed-to-be-dumb things
can do, and if you want a gossip I am quite
ready to make an appointment with you.’

And so when the service was over,
Fairbrass contrived to slip away from his

family, and as soon as the church was quite
empty, and its heavy doors were closed, he

climbed up the stonework and shared the
Kneeling Knight's canopy. The Knight,

it appeared, had not knelt for centuries for