ing to look down, but feeling
that her foot would slip if she turned her head far enough.

"Yes, you can," Regina replied, too much roused to be surprised that the
answer had come in her own language. "Your dress will hold you, even if
you let go with your hands. It is new and it is strong, and it is fairly
caught on the rock. I can see that."

"But I can't hang here until you go and get help," cried the girl, not
much reassured.

"I am going to climb to the top by an easier way and pull you up again,"
Regina answered. "Then we can get down together."

While Regina was speaking she had already begun the ascent, which was
easy enough for her, at the point she had chosen, though many an Alpine
climber might have envied the quickness and sureness of her hold with
feet and hands. She realised that she had forgotten her shoes now, and
was glad that she had taken them off.

"One minute more!" she cried in an encouraging tone, when she had almost
reached the top.

"Quick!" came the imploring answer.

Then Regina was lying flat on the ledge above the girl, stretching both
hands down and catching the slender white wrists with a hold like
steel. And then, feeling herself held and safe to move, the girl looked
up, and Regina was looking into Aurora's face below her. For one instant
the two did not recognise each other, for they had only seen each other
once, by night, under the portico of the Theatre Francais. But an
instant later a flush of anger rose to Aurora's forehead, and the dark
woman turned pale, and her brows were suddenly level and stern. They
hated each other, as the one hung there held by the other's hands, and
the black eyes gazed savagely into the angry blue ones. Aurora was not
frightened any longer; she was angry because she was in Regina's power.
The strong woman could save her if she would, and Aurora would despise
herself ever afterwards for having been saved by her. Or the strong
woman could let her fall, and she would probably be maimed for life if
she were not killed outright. That seemed almost better. She had never
understood before what it could mean to be altogether in the power of an
enemy.

Regina meant to save her; that was clear. With quick, commanding words
she told her what to do.

"Set your knees against the rock and pull yourself up a little by my
hands. So! I can pull you higher now. Get one knee well on that ledge.
Now I will hold your left hand with both mine while you disentangle y