harp, heavy blade, and
being much frightened, began to swing it heroically in every direction.
Fortunately one of the dogs happened to be in one of the directions, and
I split its head. The other dog attacked Betty, but George ran to her
rescue and finished the animal before it had time to bark.

Having vanquished the dogs, we hastened to the tower and stopped beneath
the window of the star. We had hoped to attract Frances's attention by
casting pebbles against the window-pane, but we had counted without our
ammunition. We could find no pebbles, the snow being at least a foot
deep.

A thick vine, probably an ivy, covered the front of the tower, and George
attempted to make the escalade by climbing. He would have denuded the
wall had he continued his efforts, for the vine broke, not being strong
enough to bear his weight.

"Let me try it," whispered Betty, taking off her greatcoat, hood, gloves,
and boots and tossing them to the ground.

I objected to her risking her pretty neck and limbs, but she insisted
that she could make the ascent easily, and George agreeing with her, I
reluctantly consented.

Brave little Betty at once began the ascent, I standing under her to
break the fall if she should take one. When she had climbed five or six
feet from the ground, the vine broke and she fell, landing gracefully on
her feet. Instantly she was at it again, for Betty had a will of her own
greatly disproportioned to her size. Again the vine broke, and when I
picked her up I found that she had lost her breath by the fall, but she
laughed as soon as her breath returned, and was in no way discouraged.

In a moment she tried again, despite my protest, saying she would go more
slowly and use greater care in choosing the larger vines. This time she
was determined to succeed, so she again tied the leather reins about her
arm, grasped the vine, and within two minutes was standing on the upper
coping of the second-story window, her waist on a level with the sill of
the window of the star.

The wind howling through the trees and around the corner of the tower
made so great a din that at first we did not hear what Betty said to
attract Frances's attention, but presently, the storm lulling for a
moment, we listened intently and heard her say:--

"It is Betty Pickering."

We supposed she spoke in response to an inquiry from within, and we were
right, for almost instantly the curtains parted, the window opened, and
we saw Frances st