the roof were
loose--but he knew that that was not the case--this movement would be
impossible. But the trouble was that the ladder was not hanging on the
hook; he had hung it on a projecting tin oak-leaf which formed part of
the roof's decoration, near one of the rivets, and he had neglected to
fasten the other end of the garland on which the ladder hung. His
weight was pulling on it now and dragging it and the ladder gradually
down. An inch more and the leaf would be horizontal, the ladder would
slide off it and he and the ladder together would fall into the
tremendous depth below. His newly-acquired courage was to be put to
the test. Six inches from the leaf was the hook. He took three
cautious steps up the tottering ladder; then, seizing hold of the hook
with his left hand and holding fast, he raised the ladder with his
right hand from the leaf to the hook. It hung securely. He let go the
hook and, holding fast to a rung of the ladder with both hands,
stepped back onto it again. And now the slates below the hole began to
glow; it would not be long before the burning particles carried
destruction far and near. Apollonius drew his claw-hammer from his
belt; a few strokes with the tool and the slate fell, splintering
below. Now he could see clearly the very small area of burning
surface; his confidence increased. He pressed twice on the hose and
the sprinkler began to work. First he held the nozzle toward the hole
so that the lath-work above might be the better protected from the
flame. The sprinkler proved to be powerful; the water that penetrated
beneath the edge of the slate shivered it into small bits. The flames
cracked and leaped angrily under the gushing water; only when the jet
was turned directly upon them, and then more by means of its
smothering power than its inherent qualities, did it finally vanquish
them.

The surface of the fire lay black before him; there was no hissing in
response to the jet from the hose. Far below him the works of the
clock rattled. It struck two! Two strokes! Two! And he stood and did
not plunge headlong into space. How different in reality from what his
feverish forebodings had threatened! In his brooding, waking dreams he
had stood at the top of the tower, it had struck two, a great
dizziness had come over him and dragged him down, to expiate a dark
crime. But now he stood there in reality, the ladder swayed in the
storm, snowdust flurried about him, lightning darted around him