raw, quivering nerves, she tried to
smile at him, and saying as lightly as she could, "Why, of course;
there's no hurry," began to gather what bits of wood lay about, piling
them on the fire. Thus she noted where, evidently long ago, there had
been another fire kindled against the wall of rock; some one else had
camped here, perhaps during summer-time, and this explained the fuel
wood so conveniently placed.

Meanwhile Gratton took a second pull at his flask, set it carefully
aside and stood up, swinging his arms to get the blood running, beating
his hands against his thighs, stamping gingerly. He began looking at her
curiously. Presently he said: "Do you think we are ever going to get out
of this alive?"

"Yes." Her voice rang with assurance. "Mark King has gone for help. All
we have to do is wait for a few days."

His pale brows flew up.

"King? He has gone? He has left you alone here?"

Again she said: "Yes." Gratton began plucking at his lip, striding up
and down now. It became obvious to her that there had been nothing wrong
within him beyond what his frantic terror had done to him. Perhaps, left
alone, he would have died out there in the snow; now, having already
leaned on her, having her company and the hope she held out, he began to
look his old self.

"Now I'll go for the things in the other cave," she suggested. And as an
afterthought: "Now that you are feeling better, perhaps you will go up
with me and help?"

"Why," he said, "why--of course. Yes, we'll both go."

For in his new mood, warmed by the fire and the raw whiskey, and,
further, having seen that she had done the thing with no mishap, he was
willing to do what before he could not do.

"Come," he said. "Let's hurry."

Along the paths they had already made it was a much easier matter to
make the return trip. At the cliffs Gratton allowed Gloria to go ahead,
since she knew the way up and he did not. He followed her closely, and
at first with little difficulty or hesitation. The higher they climbed,
however, the slower he went; once he hesitated so long that she began to
believe that dizziness had overcome him and that he was coming no
further. But at length she came to the ledge and the wall King had made,
and Gratton, looking up and seeing her above him, began climbing again.

Gloria held aside the canvas flap; he followed her into the cave. Her
fire, though low, still burned. For the sake of more light she put on
more dry wood from the gr