ow turned
upon the dog, and hurled one huge stone at him; it passed near, but did
not touch him. Mary's terror only excited the furious animal to follow,
and as she saw him close upon her again, with a wild cry she leaped
right across to an old fragment of a turret which stood out by itself in
an angle of the wall. The dog hesitated, but, before it could decide to
follow her, another stone from Frank had struck it full in the side.
With a tremendous howl it tumbled down into the court and fled. Poor
Mary! she gasped for breath, and could not for a long time recover her
self-possession. When at last she became more calm, soothed and
encouraged by the kind voice and earnest entreaties of Frank, it was
only to awake to the extreme danger of her present position. Fear had
made her take a leap which she could never have dared to attempt in her
calm senses. She looked across the chasm over which she had sprung, and
shuddered. Could she try the leap back again? No; she dared not. In
the meantime, the stones to which she was clinging began to loosen
beneath her weight. She looked down, and became giddy.

"Oh, save me--save me--I shall fall!" she cried. She clutched at a
strong stem of ivy which was climbing up the wall close by, and so
supported herself; but it was evident that she could not long retain her
hold in that constrained position, even if the stonework did not give
way beneath her feet. All the party had now gathered in the open space
below, and some began to climb the path by which she had mounted.
Frank, in the meanwhile, was making desperate efforts to reach the poor
girl.

"Hold on--hold on--dear Mary!" he cried; "a few moments, and I shall be
with you; don't lose courage--keep a firm grasp on the ivy; there--I've
got a landing on the top of this old arch; now, I'm only a few feet
off--steady, steady--don't stir for your life--only a few moments more
and I shall be at your side."

It was perilous work indeed; and all who beheld him held their breath as
he made his way towards where the object of their deep anxiety was
crouched. Now he was clinging to a rough projecting stone, now swinging
by a rusty bar, now grasping ivy or brambles, and every now and then
slipping as the old masonry gave way beneath his feet. At last, with
immense exertion, he gained a ledge a little below where the terrified
girl was perched, half lying, half crouching. Here he had firm
standing-ground. Placing his hand gentl