, where the great wheel raised its toothed and broken round from
the dismal pit?

"Jock! my little Jock!" cried Hildegarde, "are you there?"

A feeble sound, the very ghost of a tiny bark, answered her, and a faint
scratching was heard. In an instant all fear left Hilda, and she sprang
forward, holding the lantern high above her head, and calling out words
of encouragement and cheer. "Courage, Jock! Cheer up, little man! Missis
is here; Missis will save you! Speak to him, Will! tell him you are
here."

"Wow!" said Will, manfully, scuttling about in the darkness. "Wa-ow!"
replied a pitiful squeak from the depths of the wheel-pit. Hilda reached
the edge of the pit and looked down. In one corner was a little white
bundle, which moved feebly, and wagged a piteous tail, and squeaked with
faint rapture. Evidently the little creature was exhausted, perhaps
badly injured. How should she reach him? She threw the ray of light--oh!
how dim it was, and how heavy and close the darkness pressed!--on the
side of the pit, and saw that it was a rough and jagged wall, with
stones projecting at intervals. A moment's survey satisfied her. Setting
the lantern carefully at a little distance, and bidding Will "charge"
and be still, she began the descent, feeling the way carefully with her
feet, and grasping the rough stones firmly with her hands. Down! down!
while the huge wheel towered over her, and grinned with all its rusty
teeth to see so strange a sight. At last her feet touched the soft
earth; another instant, and she had Jock in her arms, and was fondling
and caressing him, and saying all sorts of foolish things to him in her
delight. But a cry of pain from the poor puppy, even in the midst of his
frantic though feeble demonstrations of joy, told her that all was not
right; and she found that one little leg hung limp, and was evidently
broken. How should she ever get him up? For a moment she stood
bewildered; and then an idea came to her, which she has always
maintained was the only really clever one she ever had. In her
pre-occupation of mind she had forgotten all day to take off the brown
holland apron which she had worn at her work in the morning, and it was
the touch of this apron which brought her inspiration. Quick as a flash
she had it off, and tied round her neck, pinned up at both ends to form
a bag. Then she stooped again to pick up Jock, whom she had laid
carefully down while she arranged the apron. As she did so, the feeb