THE PEREGRINE FALCON 
more hatred than fear which nerved him. Had 
he been free, and with the power, he would 
have flown at the traitor and torn him limb 
from limb, as relentlessly as he tore the silly 
starlings on the gables, but as it was anger did 
what fear could not. Another wrench and 
the staple fell jingling from the wall. 
With the blood surging in his brain lolar fell 
headlong. The roof of the nave rushed up to 
meet him. He crashed upon the slates, and 
slithered helplessly down the steep slope until 
he was brought up with a jerk by the iron 
frame of a skylight which gave upon the body 
of the church. 
Seumas Skerritt, leaning from the battlements, 
marked where he fell, and ran down the tower 
stairs to the little door which opened upon 
the leads. A man could walk easily in the 
angle made by the slope of the nave roof on 
the one hand and the north aisle on the other. 
He edged his way along, steadying himself 
against the slates, until he came opposite the 
skylight and could reach up to the chain. But 
at the nearness of his hand, and the grinning 
triumph of his face, lolar, full of fear and 
repulsion, took wing, and surmounting the 
sharp ridge of the nave, slipped out of sight 
into the angle of the south aisle on the other 
side. 
59 
