om a bruise on his forehead. Her black eyebrows
straightened again as she said coldly, "Dear me! I am very sorry; I
couldn't help it, you know. I hope you are not otherwise hurt."

"No," he replied quickly. "But you, are you sure you are not injured? It
must have been a terrible shock."

"I'm not hurt," she said, helping herself to her feet by the aid of the
mountain-side bushes, and ignoring his proffered hand. "But," she
added quickly and impressively, glancing upward toward the stage road
overhead, "why don't they come? They must have missed me! I must have
been here a long time; it's too bad!"

"THEY missed you?" he repeated diffidently.

"Yes," she said impatiently, "of course! I wasn't alone. Don't you
understand? I got out of the coach to walk uphill on the bank under
the trees. It was so hot and stuffy. My foot must have slipped up
there--and--I--slid--down. Have you heard any one calling me? Have you
called out yourself?"

Mr. Bray did not like to say he had only just recovered consciousness.
He smiled vaguely and foolishly. But on turning around in her
impatience, she caught sight of the chasm again, and lapsed quite white
against the mountain side.

"Let me give you some water from the spring," he said eagerly, as she
sank again to a sitting posture; "it will refresh you."

He looked hesitatingly around him; he had neither cup nor flask, but he
filled the pail and held it with great dexterity to her lips. She drank
a little, extracted a lace handkerchief from some hidden pocket, dipped
its point in the water, and wiped her face delicately, after a certain
feline fashion. Then, catching sight of some small object in the fork of
a bush above her, she quickly pounced upon it, and with a swift sweep
of her hand under her skirt, put on HER FALLEN SLIPPER, and stood on her
feet again.

"How does one get out of such a place?" she asked fretfully, and then,
glancing at him half indignantly, "why don't you shout?"

"I was going to tell you," he said gently, "that when you are a little
stronger, we can get out by the way I came in,--along the trail."

He pointed to the narrow pathway along the perilous incline. Somehow,
with this tall, beautiful creature beside him, it looked more perilous
than before. She may have thought so too, for she drew in her breath
sharply and sank down again.

"Is there no other way?"

"None!"

"How did YOU happen to be here?" she asked suddenly, opening her
gray eyes upon hi