to her person, and reaching under her arms, completely secured her; and
my next urgent request was, that she would not, on any account, remove
the bandage, or make the slightest movement, when she found herself
stationary below, until I had joined her. I then dropped her gently
through the aperture, lowering fathom after fathom of the rope, the
ends of which I had firmly secured round the trunk of a tree, as an
additional safeguard, until she finally came on a level with that part
of the cliff on which I had reposed when first she beheld me. As she
still hung immediately over the abyss, it was necessary to give a
gradual impetus to her weight, to enable her to gain the landing-place.
I now, therefore, commenced swinging her to and fro, until she at
length came so near the point desired, that I clearly saw the principal
difficulty was surmounted. The necessary motion having been given to
the balance, with one vigorous and final impulsion I dexterously
contrived to deposit her several feet from the edge of the lower rock,
when, slackening the rope on the instant, I had the inexpressible
satisfaction to see that she remained firm and stationary. The waving
of her scarf immediately afterwards (a signal previously agreed upon),
announced she had sustained no injury in this rather rude collision
with the rock, and I in turn commenced my descent.

"Fearing to cast away the ends of the rope, lest their weight should by
any chance effect the balance of the footing your mother had obtained,
I now secured them around my loins, and accomplishing my descent in the
customary manner, speedily found myself once more at the side of my
heart's dearest treasure. Here the transport of my joy was too great to
be controlled; I felt that NOW my prize was indeed secured to me for
ever; and I burst forth into the most passionate exclamations of
tenderness, and falling on my knees, raised my hands to Heaven in
fervent gratitude for the success with which my enterprise had been
crowned. Another would have been discouraged at the difficulties still
remaining; but with these I was become too familiar, not to feel the
utmost confidence in encountering them, even with the treasure that was
equally perilled with myself. For a moment I removed the bandage from
the eyes of your mother, that she might behold not only the far distant
point whence she had descended, but the frowning precipice I had daily
been in the habit of climbing to be blest with her p