He could hear the sounding of matin invitatories; chimes telling a rosary of harmony over tortuous labyrinths of narrow streets, over cornet towers, over pepper-box pignons, over dentelated walls; the chimes chanting the canonical hours, prime and tierce, sexte and none, vespers and compline; celebrating the joy of a city with the tinkling laughter of the little bells, tolling its sorrow with the ponderous lamentation of the great ones.

And there were master ringers in those times, makers of chords, who could send into the air the expression of the whole soul of a community.

And the bells which they served as submissive sons and faithful deacons were as humble and as truly of the people as was the Church itself.

As the priest at certain times put off his chasuble, so the bell at times had put off its sacred character and spoken to the baptized on fair day and market day, inviting them, in the event of rain, to settle their affairs inside the nave of the church and, that the sanctity of the place might not be violated by the conflicts arising from sharp bargaining, imposing upon them a probity unknown before or since.
Today bells spoke an obsolete language, incomprehensible to man.

Carhaix was under no misapprehension.