Father Walter has come down from Mizzenhall to deal with the beadle already, though Adalbert seems unaware of this. As you head in the direction of Mizzenhall, you see him and his two assistants dealing with the body of Edmund Ross at the edge of the village graveyard, preparing him for burial. He is being helped by Big Wylie Stedman, chief of the lumberjacks, and Rowe Tate, Fr. Walter's assistant.
They have a canvas sheet on the ground with the charred remains of Edmund Ross laid out on it. Big Wylie is planing spruce and pine logs into planks, while Rowe is boiling the chips to make a pungent, pleasant-smelling pitch for treating the body. Rowe, clearly used to this sort of thing, is whistling quietly but off-key as he watches the fire.
Fr. Walter, a chubby, normally cheerful fellow, has a somber air about him now. He has his hands upraised, and he is quietly praying over the body while Big Wylie and Rowe go to work.
Fr. Walter's in the edge of the village graveyard prepping. You have met him, at least in passing, over the winter. He's busy, but the prayers are more make-work than religiously obligated, and you can interrupt them if you wish, of course;