Wolf and Miss Bess both concentrated their attention upon this new sound. It was a thick human voice, repeating over and over again the same two syllables.

“Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus.”

“Is he ill? Is he suffering? Don’t let me keep you if you ought to go up to him.”

Miss Bess removed her fingers from her mouth and smiled a little.

“Oh, it’s all right now ,” she declared calmly. “It’s your voice that started him. He knows every noise for yards and yards round this house. Dogs, cats, pigs, poultry, pigeons, horses, cattle. There isn’t a sound he doesn’t know. He’ll know who’s won this match o’ bowls afore I tells him a thing.”

The voice above the ceiling continued its refrain.

“Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus⁠ ⁠… Jesus.”