– Pastor Glowford had been volunteering to help in the work of restoring the church as a builder, and one of the stone slabs had been too massive for the old building. The stone beneath it had crumbled, and the slab had fallen directly on the head of the parson who was passing under it. It was an instantaneous, painless death; I don't think the poor fellow had time to realise it," said Mr. Morris, again experiencing the sadness he had felt when he had read Mr. Pilough's letter.

– What a pity! What a tragedy! – The Viscount exclaimed quietly: he was truly saddened by the death of Pastor Glowford, but he was also disturbed by the fact that his daughters were orphans. – What about his daughters?

– When tragedy struck, one of the young men ran to the field where the peasants were working and told them of the parson's death. Everyone rushed to the church. The older Glowford girls were upset, they were stunned, they wept, and the sight was so heart-rending that Mr. Pilough could not bear the heat of emotion and retreated to the manor.

– Poor girls, they were so fond of their father! – sighed the Viscount. – But what is happening at Walsingham now?

– Unfortunately, sir, I have no such information. Mr. Pilough described only the parson's death, and, having hardly finished his letter, sent it to me without delay. 'But I hope the poor girls will get over this grief,' replied Mr. Morris.

There was silence; both were lost in their own thoughts.

The Viscount's high spirits were spoilt, and he was consumed with thoughts of how the parson's death had affected, and would affect, the lives of his daughters.

– What of Miss Cassandra? What are her feelings? – he asked quietly.

– I don't know, sir, but I will write to Mr. Pilough today. It is a day and a half since that unfortunate moment, and I suppose a lot has happened at Walsingham in the meantime, but I hope my friend will make it clear to us," said the doctor.

It seemed strange that the death of a lowly parson from some backwoods town should have so deeply grieved a man who lived in London and was a member of England's high society. But the Viscount was indeed distressed and affected by the event. What grieved him most, however, was that dear Cassie must be extremely upset by her father's death, and he feared that the trauma would damage her already sick mind.

– 'The girls must be helped,' said the Viscount firmly. – They are young and unmarried, and it will be hard for them to live on their own. What funds do they have?

– The Glowfords have a small garden to feed on. Sometimes the older sisters spin cloth and sell it, but it's a pittance: there's plenty of it in Walsingham. In the summer the girls work with the other peasants in the fields and in the autumn, they get their share of the harvest.

– What kind of harvest?

– Potatoes, sir.

– Potatoes only? – The Viscount was unpleasantly surprised.

– Alas, sir, it is so, but it will not be enough to feed us. The Glowfords subsist mostly on lean porridge and black bread, but sometimes the peasants share some food with them. The family has no livestock or poultry, so they hardly eat meat. At a wedding I attended in Walsingham, Miss Cassie was chewing something almost non-stop, and my heart burst at the sight of her.

– It's incredible! What a plight! I must help them. I can't bear the fact that there is a kingdom of poverty next to such a splendidly rich manor of Rivershold! But, Mr. Morris, all this has led me to a thought: the parson was absolutely opposed to Miss Cassandra's treatment-" And the Viscount, frowning, fell silent.