tle and no
electric light till evening, there is one thing I must have: and that is
your remarkable Phil Boldrick, who seems to hold you all in the palm of
his hand, and lives up there like a god on his Olympus."

"Well, suppose you go and call on him," said Roscoe, with a touch of dry
humour, his eye on the cable that reached to Boldrick's perch.

She saw her opportunity, and answered promptly: "Yes, I will call on
him immediately,"--here she turned towards Ruth,--"if Miss Devlin and
yourself will go with me."

"Nonsense," interposed Mr. Devlin. "Besides, the cage will only hold two
easily. Anyhow, it's absurd."

"Why is it absurd? Is there any danger?" queried Mrs. Falchion.

"Not unless there's an idiot at the machinery."

"I should expect you to manage it," she persisted.

"But no woman has ever done it."

"I will make the record." And, turning to Ruth: "You are not afraid?"

"No, I am not afraid," said the girl bravely, though she acknowledged
to me afterwards that while she was not afraid of anything where her
own skill was called in question, such as mountain-climbing, or even
puma-hunting, she did not joyfully anticipate swinging between heaven
and earth on that incline. "I will go," she added, "if my father will
let me. ... May I?" she continued, turning to him.

Perhaps something of the father's pride came up in him, perhaps he had
just got some suspicion that between his daughter and Mrs. Falchion
there was a subterranean rivalry. However it was, he gave a quick,
quizzical look at both of them, then glanced at Roscoe, and said: "I'll
make no objections, if Ruth would like to introduce you to Phil. And, as
Mrs. Falchion suggested, I'll 'turn the crank.'"

I could see that Roscoe had a bad moment. But presently he appeared to
me perfectly willing that Ruth should go. Maybe he was as keen that
she should not appear at a disadvantage beside Mrs. Falchion as was her
father.

A signal was given, and the cage came slowly down the cable to the mill.
We could see Boldrick, looking little bigger than a child at the other
end, watching our movements. At the last moment Mr. Devlin and Roscoe
seemed apprehensive, but the women were cool and determined. I noticed
Mrs. Falchion look at Ruth curiously once or twice after they entered
the cage, and before they started, and what she saw evidently gave her
a higher opinion of the girl, for she laid her hand on Ruth's arm
suddenly, and said: "We will show these mer