oking searchingly into his eyes, "and
strike hard--you can't possibly fail."

In another minute she was climbing out of the window. For one second he
saw her standing on the narrow ledge with black space at her feet; the
next, without even a cry, she sprang out into the darkness, and was
gone.

Jimbo caught his breath and ran up to see. She dropped like a stone,
turning over sideways in the air, and then at once her wings opened on
both sides and she righted. The darkness swallowed her up for a moment
so that he could not see clearly, and only heard the threshing of the
huge feathers; but it was easy to tell from the sound that she was
rising.

Then suddenly a black form cleared the wall and rose swiftly in a
magnificent sweep into the sky, and he saw her outlined darkly against
the stars above the high elm tree. She was safe. Now it was his turn.

"Act quickly! Don't think!" rang in his ears. If only he could do it all
as quickly as she had done it. But insidious fear had been working all
the time below the surface, and his refusal to recognise it could not
prevent it weakening his muscles and checking his power of decision.
Fortunately something of his Older Self came to the rescue. The emotions
of fear, excitement, and intense anticipation combined to call up the
powers of his deeper being: the boy trembled horribly, but the old,
experienced part of him sang with joy.

Cautiously he began to climb out on to the window-sill; first one foot
and then the other hung over the edge. He sat there, staring down into
black space beneath.

For a minute he hesitated; despair rushed over him in a wave; he could
never take that awful jump into emptiness and darkness. It was
impossible. Better be a prisoner for ever than risk so fearful a plunge.
He felt cold, weak, frightened, and made a half-movement back into the
room. The wings caught somehow between his legs and nearly flung him
headlong into the yard.

"Jimbo! I'm waiting for you!" came at that moment in a faint cry from
the stars, and the sound gave him just the impetus he needed before it
was too late. He could not disappoint her--his faithful friend. Such a
thing was impossible.

He stood upright on the ledge, his hands clutching the window-sash
behind, balancing as best he could. He clenched his fists, drew a deep,
long breath, and jumped upwards and forwards into the air.

Up rushed the darkness with a shriek; the air whistled in his ears; he
dropped at fear