uivering lips.
"I shall be in despair till you come back. I shall never have the
courage to fly. If you do not come back, I shall die in this tower."

"Child," said the priest, in a sad, sweet voice, "you are too
despondent. I will come back--do not fear. Try and get rid of these
gloomy thoughts. And now, once more, good-bye."

He pressed her hand and departed through the gap. He then began his
descent, while the lady stood watching him with anxious eyes and
despairing face till he had passed out of sight.

CHAPTER X.

HOW THE PRIEST BEARDS A LION IN HIS DEN.

The priest walked down the path into the chasm. It ran along a ledge,
which at first was narrow, and quite concealed from view by dense
masses of shrubbery, which grew all down the sloping sides of the
abyss, covering the rock with a green mantle, and giving it an
inviting aspect of richness and verdure. In such a place no one could
have suspected the existence or even the possibility of any pathway;
and this one must have been made with no little labor and skill, in
the ancient days, when fighting bands had need to pass and repass.

After a few paces the path became more clearly defined. It was very
steep, yet easy enough in the descent, and went down in a zigzag
direction until it reached the bottom of the chasm. Here there was a
brook whose babbling had been heard from above. In winter this was a
fierce torrent, but now it was reduced to a slender and shallow
stream. In its bed lay great bowlders of granite, which afforded
stepping-stones to those who might wish to pass, and could be used at
any time except when the water was swollen by mountain floods.

After traversing these the priest came to the other side, and began
to ascend a path of the same kind as that by which he had descended.
Here he climbed about halfway up, and then paused. At this point
there were two paths, one of which seemed to go up to the castle,
while the other went along the side of the chasm. The latter he
chose, and along this he went, ascending very gradually, until at
last he reached the top of the ridge on which the castle was
situated.

He now turned and directed his steps straight toward the castle,
which he soon reached. At the gate stood some armed tatterdemalions,
whom the priest recognized as having formed part of the gang that had
stopped the train the day before. Of these he took no heed, but
walked up boldly and asked to see their captain. One of the guar