The word heard was BEER

Copyright. The word was BEER. 12/30/09

No, no, not the beer you drink but bier, a sort of frame or platform on which the coffin of a notable rests.
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The word brings to mind an incident tinged with farce involving the state funeral of the late Major-General Sir Eldrick St. Cyr. The bier was covered by a large piece of lace that Andrea said had covered the body of Sir Eldrick’s maternal grandmother, Lady Agatha Casanova. The family as everyone knew hailed originally from Calabria. This precious handmade lace was draped carefully to the four points of the compass indicating Sir Eldrick’s many military campaigns. The coffin, as tradition in their family required, was half open. The Major General’s scarcely gray hair, thick and wavy, together with his color, doubtless enhanced by the morticians, gave him a most peaceful yet imposing appearance as if he were asleep like King Arthur waiting for the call to restore us all to Camelot. Some sobs were heard from the fashionable and prayerful crowd sitting all round the bier. His broad virile chest was clad in a scarlet uniform with polished gold epaulets, and decorated with rows of honors and medals.

Enhanced by four large flickering candles on the four sides of the coffin, the light filtering through the stained glass of the cathedral gave an almost mystical appearance to the scene.

The noise of someone entering the church caused people to look up from their reverie and they recognized Sir Eldrick’s only son Benedict who was clad too in full military attire, red coat, tricorn hat with feathers and large spurs attached to his imposing black polished leather boots. He marched round the bier and saluted, stepped back smartly, gave a sob and turned with military precision. Somehow or other, as witnesses said, one of his spurs must have caught in the folds of the delicate but strong lace covering. Being a big man he pitched sideways giving a loud yelp and grabbed for something to steady him finding only the lace cloth. As in a dream, others said, he somehow caused the coffin to be dragged forward so it tilted off on its end onto the tiles of the center of the cathedral and Sir Eldrick literally flew from the coffin, one arm raised as though in a salute and fell heavily to the floor where everyone could see that he was not wearing any trousers.