as insecure, he
lost his balance, and with a sudden cry, vanished from their eyes.

The frightful consternation of that moment none of those four could
ever bear to recall; the next, they remembered that he could only fall
as far as the roof, but it was Ethel and Leonard alone who durst press
to the parapet, and at the same moment a cry came up--

'Oh, come! I'm holding on, but it cuts! Oh, come!'

Ethel saw, some five-and-twenty feet below, the little boy upon the
transept roof, a smooth slope of lead, only broken by a skylight, a bit
of churchwarden's architecture still remaining. The child had gone
crashing against the window, and now lay back clinging to its iron
frame. Behind him was the entire height within to the church floor,
before him a rapid slope, ended by a course of stone, wide enough
indeed to walk on, but too narrow to check the impetus from slipping
down the inclination above. Ethel's brain swam; she just perceived
that both Aubrey and Leonard had disappeared, and then had barely power
to support Gertrude, who reeled against her, giddy with horror. 'Oh
look, look, Ethel,' she cried; 'I can't. Where is he?'

'There! Yes, hold on, Dickie, they are coming. Look up--not
down--hold on!'

A door opened, and out dashed Aubrey! Alas! it was on the nave
clerestory; he might as well have been a hundred, miles off. Another
door, and Leonard appeared, and on the right level, but with a giddy
unguarded ridge on which to pass round the angle of the tower. She saw
his head pass safely round, but, even then, the horror was not over.
Could he steady himself sufficiently to reach the child, or might not
Dickie lose hold too soon? It was too close below for sight, the
moulding and gurgoyle impeded her agonized view, but she saw the
child's look of joyful relief, she heard the steady voice, 'Wait, don't
let go yet. There,' and after a few more sounds, came up a shout, 'all
right!' Infinitely relieved, she had to give her whole attention to
poor Gertrude, who, overset by the accident, giddy with the attempt to
look over, horrified by the danger, confused and distressed by the hair
that came wildly flapping about her head and face, and by the puffs of
wind at her hoop, had sunk down in the centre of the little leaden
square, clinging with all her might to the staff of the weathercock,
and feeling as if the whole tower were rocking with her, absolutely
seeing the battlements dance. How was she ever to be sa