-but surely they had enough? Surely in
a hundred hours they would look upon a far lovelier light--the light of
the glorious sun?

And they did so in far less time--in less than the twentieth part of a
hundred hours, they gazed upon the orb of day.

I shall not detail their wanderings backward and forward, upward and
downward, through the vaulted galleries of that stupendous cavern!
Suffice it to say, that the bright spot indicating the entrance at
length flashed before their eyes like a meteor; and dropping the candles
from their fingers they rushed forth, and once more gazed with delighted
eyes upon the shining face of heaven!

CHAPTER SIXTY FOUR.

CONCLUSION.

You will imagine that after such a perilous adventure in the great cave,
they would never again set foot within its gloomy precincts. Neither
would they, had any mode of escaping from their other prison--the valley
itself--been offered. But they could think of none, and there still
lingered in their mind some slight hopes that one or other of the many
passages of the cave might lead through the mountains, or have an
opening at the top of the cliffs.

Slight as were the grounds for hope, they could not give them up until
they should satisfy themselves by a complete, and thorough exploration;
and for more than a week after their adventure, they employed themselves
in making huge torches and moulding candles for this purpose.

A large quantity of both were at length prepared, and the exploration
commenced.

Day after day they entered the cavern--each day making an excursion that
lasted for several hours. Day by day they continued their fruitless
search--fruitless, since no outlet could be found.

But it was not till after weeks thus spent--till after they had
traversed every vault of that stupendous cavern, and traced every
passage to its termination in the rocks, that they resigned all hope,
and gave up in despair.

When the last day's search was ended, and they had emerged from the
cave, never to enter it again, all three might have been seen seated
upon the rocks near its mouth, in attitudes and with looks that
betokened a deep and hopeless despair.

For a long time they sat in silence. The same thought was in the minds
of all--the one painful thought, that they were hopelessly cut off from
all communication with the world, and would never again look on human
faces save their own!

Caspar was the first to break silence.

"Oh!" groaned