he weight of the snow and ice an old and rotting
board had suddenly given way and dropped out. His leg had gone
entirely through, and in the fright and concern of the moment he
fancied the hole wearing larger and the rest of his body following, but
this was not the case. He was in some peril, it was true, but the
opening was not so large as he thought, the chief danger arising from
the fact that in his struggles to pull himself up again he might bring
about further loosening of the boards. If he had been watched by any
one at Poussette's his relief was at hand, but he feared that at this
time of day no one might be looking out, and this was the case.
Besides, the bridge lay, not directly in front of the village and the
hotel, but rather to one side; a large grove of pine-trees intercepted
the view, and unless he could speedily succour himself there was slight
prospect of help from outside. Fortunately it was extremely mild.

He hesitated to call, because, as his nervousness subsided, he disliked
to cut a poor figure, but at this point in his dilemma what he had
feared actually happened; as he brought his leg and almost half of his
body up through the hole another piece of planking came away and he was
left clasping the edge of rotten wood in a state of collapse hardly to
be described, his eyes alternately gazing at the sunny, unfeeling skies
above and the gaping cavern immediately beneath. He was swaying now in
mid-air and he found his voice and called repeatedly, but it was not
likely that amid the surrounding tumult of angry waters his voice would
be heard. With a great effort he pulled himself up, praying that the
board might hold; he got on to one knee, then on to both, he swung out
until he gripped the icy railings, and then with another wrench, he was
free of the ugly hole and safe--safe after all and none the worse
except in nervous tremors and a slight strain of the back for what
must, however, remain in his memory as a thrilling and most alarming
experience. Fear of Death for an instant had gripped him, and he saw
himself, as do the drowning, engulfed in the rushing icy waters and
shot down to a violent fate with Pauline's wild voice in his ears and
Pauline's pale face before his eyes. Yet, the peril over, he breathed
freely again, and carefully holding on by the rail all along the path
lest some other treacherous pitfall should lurk beneath the snow,
reached the end of the bridge in safety.

Then he s