," announced Miss Elting.

"Let it rain some more," declared Jane McCarthy sturdily. "We can't
get any wetter and the rain will help to cool us off. It doesn't seem
to be far to the camping place."

"It isn't far in a straight line. We have to take a zig-zag course,
you see," said the guide.

Janus waved his hand as a signal for them to start. Once more they
took up the weary climb, crawling from rock to rock, slowly getting
higher and higher, but at no time in danger of a long fall. The
experience of a really perilous climb lay ahead of them for another day.

Twilight was just settling over the upper reaches of the mountain when
they halted for the final climb to their night's camping place. In the
ravines darkness already had fallen.

"You will all wait here while I crawl around and get to the shelf. I
think some of you may have to be hauled up," decided the guide. The
girls gazed up a sharply sloping slab of granite, fully twenty feet
long. It followed a diagonal course, the top of it being some rods
from the shelf where they were to make camp. But, reaching the top,
they would be able to crawl along until they made the shelf, the only
level spot between themselves and the very top of Mount Chocorua.

Janus disappeared from view to the left, appearing twenty minutes later
at the top of the long, smooth slab. He held a coil of rope in his
hands.

"Look out below," he called, sending the coil shooting down the slab of
granite. "By taking hold of the rope, and bracing the body at the
proper angle, you mountain climbers ought to be able to walk right up.
Who is coming first?"

"Let Mith Elting go, tho we can laugh at her," suggested Tommy
teasingly. "Thhe won't care if we laugh."

"Do!" giggled Margery.

"I shall be delighted if doing so will furnish you any amusement,"
answered the guardian calmly; "that is, provided you send Margery next,
then Grace, and so on."

Harriet promised to see that the order was followed out as suggested.
Miss Elting glanced up the sloping rock, took the line firmly in her
hand, then waved a good-bye to the girls. She stepped cautiously to
the rock, braced first one foot then the other, and leaned back until
her weight was directed in the right way. She then began walking up
the rock, hand over hand, with an ease that amazed the Meadow-Brook
Girls. Janus reached over and took firm hold of the guardian's arm for
the last step to insure her safety.

"I haven't he