His dog had caught Ben's thoughts. To distract Amy he leapt on her and began licking her face.
She tried laughingly to push him off. "Hahaha, what've I done to deserve all this? Get off me, you great silly
dog!"
Ben shook a finger at her as he held Ned's collar. "Don't blame him, Amy, you started all the hugging off!"
Her brother called, "I'm about three feet from the window here. That's ten paces. What happens now?"
The old ship's carpenter took over. He paced out ten steps, going past Alex to arrive one pace outside the open
windows in the churchyard. "Your pace was shorter than the person who wrote the rhyme, mate. Mine is slightly
longer, I think. But it's somewhere about here."
They joined him outside in the late afternoon. Amy brought the translation with her, she read the next part.
"To where the heavenly twins stand ever
gazing at Sol's dying face."
Alex winked at Jon. "That's got nothing to do with going to sea, I'll bet. Come on, mate, let's see you solve this
one!" A real friendship was beginning to show between the hesitant boy and the old carpenter.
Jon ruffled Alex's hair as he looked around. "Give me a bit of time, matey, we'll crack it!"
The Labrador snickered as he passed Ben a thought. "The heavenly twins, that could be us!"
The boy struggled to hide a grin. "Heavenly? Not you, mate. Now stop fooling about and help us."
Amy sat on the windowsill. "Heavenly twins.... Maybe it's those two stars, you know, the sign of Gemini.
They're always called the heavenly twins!"
Jon gazed up at the sky, thinking aloud. "Only trouble with that is, it's daylight. How could the heavenly twins
watch Sol's dying face?"
The younger boy plucked a blade of grass and chewed on one end. "What's a Sol?"
Ben had heard the expression before, so he explained. "Sol is a name given to the sun. The sun sinks in the west,
you've heard the expression. The dying sun sank into the west. I've read it in books many a time."
Amy nodded. "Ben's right. So what we're looking for are two things. Heavenly twins standing ever gazing at
Sol's dying face." She walked out into the churchyard, grass rustling against her long skirt. Ben followed her.
Together they stopped, about halfway across, and leaned on one of the many crooked moss-grown gravestones,
staring at the back of the almshouse. Ben saw the twins straight away, but he waited a moment until Amy caught sight
of them. She leapt upright, pointing. "There they are, underneath the middle window: the twins!"
Two gracefully fluted columns of limestone formed the window edges. Beneath them, as if supporting the
columns with their wings, stood two carved stone angels, facing outward, their hands joined in prayer, faces looking
upward to heaven. Amy's voice caused a prowling jackdaw to take flight as she shouted shrilly, "The heavenly twins
standing ever gazing at Sol's dying face!"
Ned looked accusingly at his master, passing a thought. "You knew that, didn't you? Before Amy called out,
you'd guessed where the angels were. I must say, though, having seen a real angel, those two don't bear much
resemblance, huh!"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "Don't be hard on the stonemason, Ned, he'd probably never seen an angel."
" 'Turn as a third Gospelmaker would to the house named for the rock,' " Alex read out loud. "Now I'm really
stumped. I don't know any Gospelmakers."
The old carpenter drew a silver watch from his pocket and consulted it. "Well, we can all go home and think
about it.
You'll be wanted for dinner soon. I say we meet back here tomorrow, same time?"
Alex grumbled a bit; he was certain they were on to something, but Jon was right. Ben and his dog stood with
Amy on the other side of the wall, waiting while her brother bid his newfound friend good-bye. Alex held forth his
hand.
"See you tomorrow morning, then, Jon. Don't worry, we'll solve it. We're doing something to save Mrs. Winn's
village for her. Not like some of the dead and alive types around Chapel-vale, eh, mate?"
Alex's hand vanished inside the old carpenter's huge grasp. Jon's eyes crinkled into a fond smile as he shook it.
"Aye, mate, we won't go wrong with you helpin' us!"
Dinner had already been served at the Smithers house. Maud Bowe retired outside to the garden, where she sat,
perusing the illustrated pages of a book entitled Fashion Hints for the Lady about Town. Though she gave the
impression of enjoying her country stay, Maud was longing to be back among her friends in London. Young Wilf
slouched out into the garden, a heavy bandage and splint on his right arm, which was resting in a sling. He scowled at
Maud and slumped down into a cast-iron chair, drumming his heels hard against the legs. Maud glanced over the top
of her book at him.
"Wilfred, do you have to make that din?"
He drummed his steel-tipped boot heels louder, staring defiantly at her. "Name's not Wilfred, it's Wilf!"
Closing the book, she stared primly at him. "All right, then. Will you cease that infernal noise, Wilf?"
He stopped, smiled maliciously, and started drumming again. "I can do what I like 'round here. I live here, you
don't!"
"I'll tell your father!" "Go and tell him, I don't care."
Maud massaged the side of her forehead daintily. The noise was really getting to her. Finally she stamped her
foot.
"Why don't you go up to your room? I thought you were supposed to be injured. You should be in bed!"
Wilf was enjoying tormenting her and beat his heels faster. "Mother says I need fresh air. You go up to your
room!"
Maud knew she had lost the battle of wills. Before she retired to her room, she stood over Wilf, hissing nastily.
"Stupid village clod! Wilfred, Wilfred, Wilfred!"
Wilf continued drumming, grinning smugly at her.
"Miss Maudy toffee nose!"
She stalked off without another word, her thoughts racing. Maybe when her father's toughs came up from
London, she could find a reason for one of them to give Wilf an accidental cuff across the ear. They were good at
things like that.
When she had gone, Wilf produced pencil and paper from his sling and began laboriously writing, trying to use
his left hand. It was useless, Regina would write for him. This time he would fix Ben for good, without violence or
fighting. He sat waiting for his gang to visit.
26.
DUSK WAS TAKING THE PLACE OF DAYlight. Outside the lace-curtained windows, a nightingale's
melody was punctuated by an owlhoot, and dusty moths beat their wings on the windowpanes, in an effort to reach the
interior light.
It was just before Mrs. Winn's bedtime. She sat at the kitchen table with Ben, trying to help him with the riddle.
He had told her of the discoveries that he, Amy, Alex, and Jon had made so far. The old lady seemed tired and
despondent. "Do you really think any of this will help me and the village, Ben? Time's growing shorter by the day
now. This all sounds a bit airy-fairy, compared to the way Smithers and his London firm are forging ahead. I looked at
one of those clearance notices posted in the square. It's so official, so full of legal jargon. All 'wheretofore' and
'hereinafter' and 'clause B subsection D,' it made my head spin. Oh, I wish we could come back at them with
something more solid instead of a few ideas based on guesswork."
Ben saw the old lady was close to tears. She was plainly scared and worried by the entire situation. He took her
hand. "Stop fretting, Miz Winn, everything will turn out for the best, you'll see. Now come on, help me with this