as they left church, the bell-ringers began to pull. and then came-not the happy music of wedding bell-but the long, slow, deep sound of the death bell.horror filled every heart in the crowd. how could the bell-ringers make so terrible a mistake? but the ringers themselves ran in fear from the church, and refused to go back in. the bride's hands were shaking, and there were grey shadows around her mouth. her husband held her arm and walked with her through the crowd of villagers, waiting with their handfuls of rice. but the handfuls were never thrown, and the wedding bells never rang.