Spreading the napkin on the floor and placing the stone in the exact center, she picked up the opposite corners of the napkin and tied a tight square knot; then tied another one with the other corners. When she had slipped the rope under both securely, she heard Felipe coming in the office door.
She sprang to her feet while Florence ran into the office to keep him from coming onto the balcony.
“I’ll take the limeades, Felipe,” she told him, taking the tray he was carrying.
Instead of leaving immediately he lingered a moment to ask how long it would be before they would be ready to go for a drive.
For a few seconds she hesitated, then replied, “I think they’ll be ready in about half an hour.” Jo Ann had seemed so sure she could get down, but maybe—— “If they’re not ready by that time, I’ll let you know.”
As soon as he had left the office Florence hastened back to the balcony. By that time Jo Ann had successfully pulled the stone up to the roof and had lowered the rope for the iron bar.
The moment she had the piece of iron in her hands, she hopped off the low wall and eagerly set to work. Kneeling on the flat surface of the roof, she held the iron bar firmly against the inside of the wall with her left hand and struck it a heavy blow with the stone.
The next instant the iron bar sprang back, knocking the stone out of her hand and striking her foot a glancing blow.
“Oh—my foot!” she cried in muffled tones, hopping around the roof on the other foot.
“I can’t stop for a little thing like this,” she decided shortly, setting resolutely to work again.