As they came to the back of the church they were startled
and not a little alarmed by the sound of sudden scurrying and a well-
defined imprecation, but it was too dark for them to distinguish any
one. While they were trying to effect an entrance through one of the
windows, other mystified participants in the night's affairs were
looking on from secret and divers hiding-places. Far out in the little
grove Derby and his old companion watched the operations of the
church-breakers, the sickly glare of Carpenter's lantern as it stood
upon the edge of the rain barrel affording an unholy light for the
occasion. Windomshire and Anne, crouching behind a stack of old
benches, looked on in amazement. Mr. Hooker, whose conscience was none
too easy, doubtless for excellent reasons, peered forth from behind a
tall tombstone. He had arrived at the conclusion that he was being
hounded down as a body-snatcher.
"This is a devil of a mess," he muttered dolefully. "If they catch me
in this graveyard, I'll have a hard time proving an alibi. What an
idiot I was to get into this thing! I guess I'll get out of it. He's
got plenty of witnesses and I've got his ten dollars.
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