my
look-in, that's all. Twenty-four hours without a single bite would be
the limit for me. I don't think I'd survive the ordeal. Now what, Tom?"

Tom was looking out again.

"That's lucky," Jack heard him mutter.

"Of course it is. But tell me what you're referring to, Tom."

"Some clouds have come along. One is right now covering the face of the
moon, you notice. Well, if we are forced to lower Bessie and her mother
from the window by means of a rope made from knotted bed-sheets, we
stand a chance to avoid being discovered at work by any one who might
happen to be abroad just then."

Jack chuckled as though pleased.

"Sure, that's the game, Tom! I knew you'd be equal to getting up some
sort of clever scheme. And I'll start in right away making that rope. We
want to be certain it's strong enough to bear their weight, that's all."

"I'll help you at the job," Tom told him, for he too wished to be
positive about the twisted parts of the sheets, before trusting the girl
and her mother to their care.

Fortunately they found that Carl Potzfeldt had some of the airs of a
millionaire about him. The sheets were of stout linen, instead of the
customary cotton to which the American boys were accustomed. When these
were cut first with a sharp pocket-knife, and then torn into long strips
about a foot or so in width, they could be twisted and knotted until the
result was a novel rope of at least twenty feet in length.

Neither Bessie nor her mother said a single word. They seemed more than
willing to be thus lowered to the ground. Such a novel experience might
not be delightful, but it amounted to very little when compared with
what they had suffered at the hands of their rude and cruel captor.

Soon the odd rope was ready for use.

"Let me be the first to go down," Bessie then said to Tom, in an
authoritative voice.

As he had been about to propose the same thing he made not the least
objection, but proceeded to secure one end of the strange rope around
her body just below the arms, Bessie herself assisting in the operation.

Before attempting the task, Tom stood at the window listening for some
little time. He wished to make sure that none of the German officers had
remained outside. Tom also meant to satisfy himself that there was no
lurking form among the bushes on that side of the chateau, since the
light streaming from the lower windows dissipated some of the advantages
gained by the temporary clouding of the m