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!