taching the
string to the knots.

Adela seemed to enjoy it all as fun, but she turned serious directly
after as she told her old companion how grateful she felt to him for his
bravery on the previous day, remarks which made Hilary feel
uncomfortable and go away from the window with the excuse that he wanted
to attend to his toilet.

For the next quarter of an hour Hilary was revelling in a good wash,
with all the enjoyment of one who has been shut off from the use of soap
and towel, with the result that after he had finished off with a brush,
he felt more himself, and ready to stare his position more comfortably
in the face.

He went to the window in spite of his resolutions not to be tempted, and
looked down; but Adela had gone, so he had a good look round at the
country.

Here he was facing due south, and before him, stretched in the bright
sunshine, wave after wave as it were of hilly land, pretty well clothed
with forest-trees. In the far distance there was a range of hills with
a church and a windmill, both of which he recognised as having seen from
the other side when upon the deck of the cutter, and this gave him a
good idea of where he was, and how to shape his course when he made his
escape.

That word set him thinking, and without more ado he proceeded to cut up
the sheets, knot together some of the strips, and then to lay them up,
sailor fashion, into a serviceable linen rope, for the sheets were
coarse and strong.

This he did with his ears attent to the coming of footsteps, and a place
ready in the bed to throw his work and cover it over should Allstone or
Sir Henry be at hand. But he need not have troubled, for he completed
about forty feet of good strong line from the pair of sheets, and coiled
it up after securing the ends ready for use.

His escape now was simplicity itself he thought, and his toil ended and
the shreds carefully swept up and blown from the window, he seated
himself upon the sill, and enjoyed the warmth of the afternoon sunshine,
planning out how he would slip down after securing one end of his cord
to the window-frame.

Sir Henry would, he felt sure, provide for the safety of Adela and
himself as soon as he found that the prisoner had escaped, for he felt
that he could not bring peril upon them. There was no cause for fear,
though, and he sat thinking of how grand it would be if he could escape
the moment it was dark and get down to the shore and find the _Kestrel_.

Tha