Bell Ringers
After Quasimodo's Death...
...the Archbishop of Notre Dame Cathedral sent word throughout the
streets of Paris that a new bellringer was needed.
The Archbishop decided that he would conduct the interviews personally
and went up into the belfry to begin the screening process.
After observing several applicants demonstrate their skills, he decided
to call it a day when a lone, armless man approached him and announced
that he was there to apply for the bellringer's job.
The Archbishop was incredulous. "You have no arms!"
"No matter," said the man, "Observe."
He then began striking the bells with his face, producing a beautiful
melody. The Archbishop listened in astonishment, convinced that he had finally
found a suitable replacement for Quasimodo. Suddenly, rushing forward to
strike a >bell, the armless man tripped, and plunged headlong out of the belfry
window to his death in the street below.
The stunned Archbishop rushed to his side. When he reached the street,
a crowd had gathered around the fallen figure, drawn by the beautiful
music they had heard only moments before. As they silently parted to let the
Archbishop through, one of them asked, "Your Grace, who was this man?"
"I don't know his name," the Archbishop sadly replied, "but his face
rings a bell."
The following day, despite the sadness that weighed heavily on his
heart due to the unfortunate death of the armless campanologist (is there a
trivia question here?), the Archbishop continued his interviews for the
bellringer of Notre Dame.
The first man to approach him said, "Your Grace, I am the brother of
the poor, armless wretch that fell to his death from this very belfry yesterday.
I pray that you honor his life by allowing me to replace him in this duty."
The Archbishop agreed to give the man an audition, and as the armless
man's brother stooped to pick up a mallet to strike the first bell, he
groaned, clutched at his chest and died on the spot.
Two monks, hearing the Archbishop's cries of grief at this second
tragedy, rushed up the stairs to his side. "What happened? Who is this man?"
"I don't know his name," sighed the distraught Archbishop, "but he's a
dead ringer for his brother."
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