“Certainly; some one must go,” he said briefly.
Involuntarily the girl’s glance wandered to Philip Wentworth, a slight frown contracting her brow. He still sat upon the ground, his face covered, and the very picture of despair. Clearly, he was wholly unfitted to be of any special use in this fearful emergency.
Clifford’s next move was to firmly knot the diagonal corners of the sheet he had brought and slip it over his left shoulder and under his right arm.
“What is that for?” questioned Miss Athol.
“To put the child into. Do you not see? It makes a kind of pouch, and, swung over my back, will leave my hands free to use in climbing.”
“Oh, yes,” she breathed; “how thoughtful of you, and she will be safer so than she could possibly have been in almost any other way.”
“Yes,” he said simply, and smiled a look of encouragement into her white face.
“Now, John, Sam, and Wentworth, too, we shall need your help,” he continued, turning sharply upon Philip to arouse him to action. “I am going down that fire-escape. John, I want you to keep hold of this other rope that is tied to me, and pay it out as I go—but not too fast, just enough to feel my movements, and be sure you do not lose your head or your grip, for in case the other rope should slip or I should need to rest a moment a little tightening up upon it will be a great help to me, and possibly avert a serious accident. When I start to come back pull it up evenly and steadily—don’t let it slip, for I shall need to depend a good deal upon its support. When I get back here to the edge of the plateau you will—every one of you—need all your wits about you to help me on to terra firma once more. Now, obey orders, and, God helping me, I will do the rest.”
He stepped calmly forward to where the rope hung over, laid hold upon the trunk of the tree to help himself off, then, seizing the knotted fire-escape, slipped slowly down into space.
At this moment Philip Wentworth sprang to his feet and went forward, his face still white as marble, but evidently doing his utmost to brace himself up to assist in the rescue of his idolized little sister.