Down--down--down--down.

The rope made his hands sore.

He looked up. The window was so distant, he ventured now to turn his
eyes downward again; and there, not more than thirty feet below him,
were Margaret and Martin, their faithful hands upstretched to catch him
should he fall. He could see their eyes and their teeth shine in the
moonlight. For their mouths were open, and they were breathing hard.

"Take care, Gerard oh, take care! Look not down."

"Fear me not," cried Gerard joyfully, and eyed the wall, but came down
faster.

In another minute his feet were at their hands. They seized him ere he
touched the ground, and all three clung together in one embrace.

"Hush! away in silence, dear one."

They stole along the shadow of the wall.

Now, ere they had gone many yards, suddenly a stream of light shot from
an angle of the building, and lay across their path like a barrier of
fire, and they heard whispers and footsteps close at hand.

"Back!" hissed Martin. "Keep in the shade."

They hurried back, passed the dangling rope, and made for a little
square projecting tower. They had barely rounded it when the light shot