I hear the sound of a church bell ring

The story:

I could never figure out why a church bell was ringing, unless maybe it was just some poetic stuff supposed to sound good. I still think it makes more sense than �a gentle word�. A church bell seems to me more likely to be �on the wind that lifts her perfume through the air� than I think a �gentle word� would be. And besides, they never said what the �gentle word� was!