e same).

"Thank God!" says she faintly, and would have fallen but for my arm.

"Why, comrade, how now?" says I; and for a moment her soft cheek rested
against my leathern jerkin.

"O Martin," says she, sighing, "I do fear me I'm a monstrous
craven--sometimes! Forgive me!"

"Forgive you?" says I, and looking down on her bowed head, feeling her
thus all a-tremble against me, I fell a-stammering, "Forgive you,
nay--where--here was an unchancy thing--'tis small wonder--no wonder
you should grow affrighted and tremble a little--"

"You are trembling also," says she, her voice muffled against me.

"Am I?"

"Yes, Martin. Were you afraid likewise?"

"No--Yes!" says I, and feeling her stir in my hold, I loosed her.

And now, bringing fern and bracken from my bed I kindled a fire and,
damping this a little, made a smoke the which, rising to a certain
height, blew back upon us but always from the one direction; and
peering up thither I judged here must be a space 'twixt the roof and
the face of the rock, though marvellous well-hid from all observation.
Hereupon, the place being full of smoke I must needs stamp out the fire
lest we stifle; yet I had discovered what I sought. So whilst my
companion busied herself about supper, I dragged our table from the
outer cave, setting it in a certain corner and, mounted thereon,
reached up and grasped a ledge of rock by which I drew myself up and
found I was in a narrow opening or tunnel, and so low that I must creep
on hands and knees.

"Will you have a candle, Martin?" And there was my lady standing below
me on the table, all anxious-eyed. So I took the candle and creeping
through this narrow passage suddenly found myself in another cavern
very spacious and lofty; and now, standing in this place, I stared
about me very full of wonder, as well I might be, for I saw this:
Before me a narrow door, very stout and pierced with a loophole, and
beyond this a rocky passage that led steeply down: on my right hand,
in a corner, a rough bed with a bundle of goat-skins and sheets that
looked like sailcloth; on my left a table and armchair, rough-builded
like the bed, and above these, a row of shelves against the rocky wall
whereon stood three pipkins, an iron, three-legged cooking-pot, a
candlestick and an inkhorn with pen in it. Lastly, in a corner close
beside the bed, I spied a long-barrelled firelock with bandoliers
complete. I was about to reach this (and very joyously) when my