ry took a swift survey of her face.
Apparently he found it satisfactory.

"If you'll go first," he stammered.

"Then come along--we've no time to waste," said Diana, springing up and
giving him her hand.

"Diana! You surely don't mean----" began Geraldine in eager
remonstrance.

"Yes, I do!" interrupted Diana. "I've done worse things before, and I'm
not scared. Come on, Harry! We'll have you home in forty cracks."

The girls did not attempt to interfere. They stood and watched while
Diana hauled the little boy up the bank. Perhaps each secretly wished
she were capable of such a piece of pluck. Though the tree was tall
enough to span the stream, its bole seemed very narrow to form a bridge,
and the rounded surface made it all the more slippery; the few branches
here and there were of little help. Diana hoisted up her protege, then
going in front of him began to crawl across on her hands and knees,
speaking to him all the time, so as to encourage him to follow her.
Beneath them the water foamed and roared over the rocks: to slip would
mean to be whirled into the depths of a dark pool below. It was a slow
progress, but inch by inch they crept along till the most dangerous part
was passed, and they had reached comparative safety. The girls cheered
when at last Diana scrambled to her feet and lifted Harry on to dry
ground. A path led up the side of the gorge, and along this he set off
at full speed for home. His preserver stood looking after him for a
minute or two, and then she turned to re-cross her perilous bridge. Six
hands were stretched out to help her as she completed the venturesome
journey.

"You're a trump, Di!"

"_I_ daren't have done it!"

"You've been a guardian angel to that child!"

"Was it _very_ awful?"

"I can't think how you managed it!"

"I nearly screamed when you reached the middle!"

"It felt worse coming back than going," said Diana, brushing her skirt,
which had suffered considerably. "Somehow I minded it more. Well, it's
over now! We'd better be getting on, hadn't we?"

"Yes, indeed; the others will think we're lost," agreed Geraldine.

The t-r-r-ee-ee of the whistle was sounding from the far distance, so
the girls made a spurt and hurried along to catch up the rest of the
party. Geraldine, in virtue of her office as head prefect, briefly
explained to Miss Todd the cause of the delay.

"I shouldn't have let you do it, Diana, if I had been there," said the
Principal. "But I've no