anage it, Poopy," he remarked, in a sad tone of voice, on
beholding the poor girl balanced on the small of her back, preparatory
to making a spring that might have reminded one of the leaps of a trout
when thrown from its native element upon the bank of a river. "And
you'll break your neck if you go on like that," he added, on observing
that, having failed in these attempts, she recurred to the
heels-over-head process; but all in vain.

"O me!" sighed Poopy, as she fell back in a fit of exhaustion. "It's be
all hup wid us."

"Don't say that, you goose," whispered Corrie; "you'll frighten Alice,
you will."

"Will me?" whispered Poopy, in a tone of self-reproach; then in a loud
voice, "Oh, no! it's not all hup yet. Miss Alice. See, me go at it
again."

And "go at it" she did in a way that actually alarmed her companions. At
any other time Corrie would have exploded with laughter, but the poor
boy was thoroughly overwhelmed by the suddenness and the extent of his
misfortune. The image of Bumpus, disappearing headlong over that
terrible cliff, had filled his heart with a feeling of horror which
nothing could allay, and grave thoughts at the desperate case of poor
little Alice (for he neither thought of nor cared for Poopy or himself)
sank like a weight of lead upon his spirit.

"Don't try it any more, dear Poopy," said Alice, entreatingly; "you'll
only hurt yourself and tear your frock. I feel _sure_ that some one will
be sent to deliver us. Don't _you_, Corrie?"

The tone in which this question was put showed that the poor child did
not feel quite so certain of the arrival of succor as her words implied.
Corrie perceived this at once, and, with the heroism of a true lover, he
crushed back the feelings of anxiety and alarm which were creeping over
his own stout little heart in spite of his brave words, and gave
utterance to encouraging expressions and even to slightly jovial
sentiments, which tended very much to comfort Alice, and Poopy too.

"Sure?" he exclaimed, rolling on his other side to obtain a view of the
child (for, owing to his position and his fettered condition, he had to
turn on his right side when he wished to look at Poopy, and on his left
when he addressed himself to Alice). "Sure? why, of course I'm sure.
D'ye think your father would leave you lying out in the cold all night?"

"No, that I am certain he would not," cried Alice, enthusiastically;
"but, then, he does not know we are here, and will ne