hat chap might be just idiot enough to bring his
sister back with him."

Thus thinking, the young man attempted to get a look at himself in the
water-mirror of the lake, and was trying to comb his hair with his
fingers, when a merry laugh from above put an end to his toilet and
caused him to start up in confusion.

His young friend of the golf suit had returned, and was letting down a
small basket attached to a stout cord.

"Why don't you drop the tackle and let me come up there to you?"
suggested Peveril, who was not only very tired of the ledge, but
curious to make a closer acquaintance with his new friend.

"Oh no," said the other, hurriedly, "I can't do that. But look out!
catch the basket. I am sorry not to have brought you a better lunch,
but you seemed in such a hurry that I thought you might not be
particular."

"It's fine," rejoined Peveril, who was already making a ravenous
attack on the bread and cold meat contained in the basket. "You
couldn't have brought me anything that I should have liked better, or
that would have done me more good, and I am a thousand times obliged."

A few minutes of silence ensued after this, while the one in the golf
suit eagerly watched the other satisfy his hunger.

When the last crumb of food had disappeared, Peveril heaved a sigh of
content. "I feel like a new man now," he said, "and if you will only
be so kind as to throw down that tackle--"

"But you haven't answered a single one of my questions," interrupted
the other.

"Can't I do that up there as well as here?"

"No, I want them answered right off, now."

"Well, you are a queer sort of a chap," retorted Peveril; "but, seeing
that you were so kind about the lunch, I don't mind humoring you a
bit. Let me see: What were they? Oh! First--who am I? Well, I am
Richard Peveril; but beyond that I hardly know how to answer.
Second--why am I here? Because I can't get away. Third--what am I
doing? Answering questions. Fourth--how do I propose to get away? By
climbing the rope that you will let down to me, of course, and then
have you show me the same way out of the cavern that you take."

[Illustration: AT SEEING PEVERIL, THE MEN UTTERED A CRY OF TERROR]

"Oh, but I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because I have promised never to show it to any one. But, if you
don't know the way, how did you get into the cavern?"

"If you'll show me your way out, I'll show you mine," replied Peveril,
who was growing impatient.

"