Slowly and cautiously, clinging to his hand, he pulled her away from the edge of the precipice and helped her to scramble up to where he clung.
There she lay and panted. He looked at her apprehensively.
"Don"t go and faint now, or any foolishness like that," he ordered sharply.
"No, no, I won"t. I"ll try not to. But how are we ever going to climb up--up there?"
Above them and at least four feet out of reach, even if they stood up, and that would be a frightfully risky proceeding, the sod projected over their heads like the eaves of a house.
Helen glanced up at it and shuddered.
"Oh, how CAN we?" she gasped.
"We can"t. And we won"t try."
"Shall we call for help?"
"Not much use. n.o.body to hear us. Besides, we can always do that if we have to. I think I see a way out of the mess. If we can"t get up, perhaps we can get down."
"Get DOWN?"
"Yes, it isn"t all as steep as it is here. I believe we might sort of zig-zag down if we were careful. You hold on here just as you are; I"m going to see what it looks like around this next point."
The "point" was merely a projection of the bluff about twenty feet away.
He crawfished along the face of the slope, until he could see beyond it.
Helen kept urging him to be careful--oh, be careful!
"Of course I"ll be careful," he said curtly. "I don"t want to break my neck. Yes--yes, by George, it IS easier around there! We could get down a good way. Here, here; don"t start until you take my hand. And be sure your feet are braced before you move. Come on, now."
"I--I don"t believe I can."
"Of course you can. You"ve GOT to. Come on. Don"t look down. Look at the sand right in front of you."
Getting around that point was a decidedly ticklish operation, but they managed it, he leading the way, making sure of his foothold before moving and then setting her foot in the print his own had made. On the other side of the projection the slope was less abrupt and extended much nearer to the ground below. They zigzagged down until nearly to the edge of the steep drop. Then Albert looked about for a new path to safety. He found it still farther on.
"It takes us down farther," he said, "and there are bushes to hold on to after we get there. Come on, Helen! Brace up now, be a sport!"
She was trying her best to obey orders, but being a sport was no slight undertaking under the circ.u.mstances. When they reached the clump of bushes her guide ordered her to rest.
"Just stop and catch your breath," he said. "The rest is going to be easier, I think. And we haven"t so very far to go."
He was too optimistic. It was anything but easy; in fact, the last thirty feet was almost a tumble, owing to the clay giving way beneath their feet. But there was soft sand to tumble into and they reached the beach safe, though in a dishevelled, scratched and thoroughly smeared condition. Then Helen sat down and covered her face with her hands.
Her rescuer gazed triumphantly up at the distant rim of broken sod and grinned.
"There, by George!" he exclaimed. "We did it, didn"t we? Say, that was fun!"
She removed her hands and looked at him.
"WHAT did you say it was?" she faltered.
"I said it was fun. It was great! Like something out of a book, eh?"
She began to laugh hysterically. He turned to her in indignant surprise.
"What are you laughing at?" he demanded.
"Oh--oh, don"t, please! Just let me laugh. If I don"t laugh I shall cry, and I don"t want to do that. Just don"t talk to me for a few minutes, that"s all."
When the few minutes were over she rose to her feet.
"Now we must get back to the pavilion, I suppose," she said. "My, but we are sights, though! Do let"s see if we can"t make ourselves a little more presentable."
She did her best to wipe off the thickest of the clay smears with her handkerchief, but the experiment was rather a failure. As they started to walk back along the beach she suddenly turned to him and said:
"I haven"t told you how--how much obliged I am for--for what you did. If you hadn"t come, I don"t know what would have happened to me."
"Oh, that"s all right," he answered lightly. He was reveling in the dramatic qualities of the situation. She did not speak again for some time and he, too, walked on in silence enjoying his day dream. Suddenly he became aware that she was looking at him steadily and with an odd expression on her face.
"What is it?" he asked. "Why do you look at me that way?"
Her answer was, as usual, direct and frank.
"I was thinking about you," she said. "I was thinking that I must have been mistaken, partly mistaken, at least."
"Mistaken? About me, do you mean?"
"Yes; I had made up my mind that you were--well, one sort of fellow, and now I see that you are an entirely different sort. That is, you"ve shown that you can be different."
"What on earth do you mean by that?"
"Why, I mean--I mean--Oh, I"m sure I had better not say it. You won"t like it, and will think I had better mind my own affairs--which I should do, of course."
"Go on; say it."
She looked at him again, evidently deliberating whether or not to speak her thought. Then she said:
"Well, I will say it. Not that it is really my business, but because in a way it is begging your pardon, and I ought to do that. You see, I had begun to believe that you were--that you were--well, that you were not very--very active, you know."
"Active? Say, look here, Helen! What--"
"Oh, I don"t wonder you don"t understand. I mean that you were rather--rather fond of not doing much--of--of--"
"Eh? Not doing much? That I was lazy, do you mean?"
"Why, not exactly lazy, perhaps, but--but--Oh, how CAN I say just what I mean! I mean that you were always saying that you didn"t like the work in your grandfather"s office."
"Which I don"t."
"And that some day you were going to do something else."
"Which I am."