"Young woman what are you doing up there?" demanded Mrs. Livingston. "Are you Miss Thompson?"
"I wath. I don't know who I am now, Mithith Livingthton. Pleathe help me down."
"If you will stand below to catch her I think I shall be able to release her," called Harriet from her perch in the tree.
Harriet had not been seen before in the darkness, screened by the foliage as she was, Mrs. Livingston called to know who she was. Harriet gave her name. Then the Chief Guardian directed that Harriet should release the prisoner from her difficulty while several of the guardians stood in a circle under the tree with arms outstretched ready to stop the fall of the little figure hanging over their heads.
"Are you going to drop me?" questioned Tommy in great alarm.
"Yes, but it won't hurt you," answered Harriet.
"I don't want to. I——"
Tommy did not complete the sentence. Instead she finished with a scream as Harriet unfastened the cord from the stub that had held it and with one hand lowered Tommy into the arms of her friends. This Harriet did with one hand, clinging with the other to one of the lower limbs of the tree. As several of the girls held up their lanterns to aid the others in catching Grace, there were exclamations of admiration at Harriet's exhibition of strength.
"Who would think her so strong?" exclaimed a guardian.
"Harriet is as plucky as she is strong," answered Miss Elting.