There were four gold-plated bells shaped like small, upside-down bowls attached to a single handle. When the altar boy shook them, all four rang at once with a sound that was both melodious and sharp - creating a great pause.

Everyone paid attention. When I was a girl, as now, I experienced a frisson at the sound. Tonight on the internet, I found them under 'sanctus bells' or 'altar bells'. We called them 'sacristy bells', and they had a way of clearing a space, opening the door to the consecration of bread and wine, the mystery part of Holy Mass.