toilsome climb, my mind now a bewildered chaos between my plain duty to
Lee and my nearly uncontrollable desire to meet once more the woman who
was dancing in the room below.

The little mountaineer, as active as a cat, and not especially hampered
by lack of room in which to work, was well above me by this time. The
chimney, acting as a tube, brought down to me from time to time the
slight noise of his climbing, varied by an occasional exclamation or
comment, but I could perceive no other evidence of his presence. Above,
all was as black as the grave.

"Holy smoke!" he ejaculated, probably unaware that he was giving
utterance to his thoughts. "That was a sharp rock! Durn if thar's a
inch o' skin left on my knee. Whut is it Scott ses? 'An' broken arms
and disarray marked the fell havoc of the day.' Gee! if Mariar cud only
see me now, maybe she wouldn't be proud--

"'Sweet _Maria_, dear my life must be
Since it is worthy care from thee;
Yet life I hold but idle breath,
When love or honor's weighed with death!'

"Ough! stop thet! who's got hold o' my fut?"

"Hush your racket, you little fool," I said angrily. "Do you want the
whole Yankee army to trap us here like rats? I cannot get up this
chimney any farther; it is growing too small to permit my body to
pass."

"Is thet so, Cap?" he asked anxiously. "Whut be ye goin' ter dew 'bout