"My princess!" he murmured, and as he turned his face toward hers
their lips almost touched.

Joseph was pulling upon the rope from above. They could feel it
tighten beneath the girl's arms. Impulsively Barney Custer drew the
sweet lips closer to his own. There was no resistance.

"I love you," he whispered. The words were smothered as their lips
met.

Joseph, above, wondered at the great weight of the Princess Emma von
der Tann.

"I love you, Leopold, forever," whispered the girl, and then as
Joseph's Herculean tugging seemed likely to drag them both from the
narrow sill, Barney lifted the girl upward with one hand while he
clung to the window frame with the other. The distance to the sill
above was short, and a moment later Joseph had grasped the
princess's hand and was helping her over the ledge into the room
beyond.

At the same instant there came a sudden commotion from the interior
of the room in the window of which Barney still stood waiting for
Joseph to remove the rope from about the princess and lower it for
him. Barney heard the heavy feet of men, the clank of arms, and
muttered oaths as the searchers stumbled against the furniture.

Presently one of them found the switch and instantly the room was
flooded with light, which revealed to the American a dozen Luthanian
troopers headed by the murderous Maenck.