, after pausing a few
minutes in the golden gallery to take hurried glances at the surrounding
views and to recover breath, the party went back to the inside of the
building and commenced the descent. They stopped occasionally to sit
down and rest on the benches which they found placed at convenient
distances, in various nooks and corners, in the course of the descent.
They encountered several other parties coming up; and sometimes they
were passed by parties who were going down, and who went faster than
they. One of these parties consisted of two young men. Mr. George asked
them if they went up into the ball. They said they did. He asked them if
the ascent was very steep and difficult.

"Yes," said one of the young men; "it made my limbs quake, I can assure
you."

"Did you actually go into the ball?" said Mr. George.

"Yes," said the young man.

"How large is the space inside?" asked Rollo.

"Large enough to hold eight men," said he. "There were six in it when we
were there, and there was room for two more."

If you turn to the engraving, and look at the ball under the cross as it
is represented there, you will be surprised to think that it is large
enough to contain eight men; but such is the fact. It is its immense
height from the ground that makes it appear so small.

Rollo and Jennie began to count the steps as they came down, and they
went on very patiently in this work until they got to between one
hundred and sixty and one hundred and seventy; and here, in some way or
other, they lost their reckoning, and so gave up the attempt. Rollo,
however, afterwards found from his guide book that the whole number of
steps from the ground to the ball was six hundred and sixteen.

The party at length reached the floor of the church again in safety.
They then went down to see what was called the crypt, which they found
to be nothing more nor less than a range of subterranean chambers,
precisely like the cellars of a great house, only they were filled with
tombs, and monuments, and old effigies of dead crusaders, some standing
up and some lying down, some new and some old, some whole and others
broken to pieces. The whole place was damp, chilly, and disagreeable;
and the party were very glad to escape from it and to get back to the
light of day.

CHAPTER XI.

THE ARISTOCRACY.

"What do you suppose that man is doing upon that ladder?" said Rollo to
Mr. George.

Rollo and Mr. George were walking together