frame, the way from the
brow to the hand is comparatively simple. Nigel soon possessed himself
of the coveted article. Like other things of great value the possession
turned the poor youth's head! He forgot his father's warnings for the
moment, forgot the hermit and Moses and Spinkie, and the thick
darkness--forgot almost everything in the light of that touch!

"Winnie!" he exclaimed in a tone that quite alarmed her; "I--I--" He
hesitated. The solemn embargo of his father recurred to him.

"What is it! Is there danger?" exclaimed the poor girl, clasping his
hand tighter and drawing nearer to him.

This was too much! Nigel felt himself to be contemptible. He was
taking unfair advantage of her.

"Winnie," he began again, in a voice of forced calmness, "there is no
danger whatever. I'm an ass--a dolt--that's all! The fact is, I made
my father a sort of half promise that I would not ask your opinion on a
certain subject until--until I found out exactly what you thought about
it. Now the thing is ridiculous--impossible--for how can I know your
opinion on any subject until I have asked you?"

"Quite true," returned Winnie simply, "so you better ask me."

"Ha! _ha_!" laughed Nigel, in a sort of desperate amusement, "I--I--Yes,
I _will_ ask you, Winnie! But first I must explain--"

"Hallo! Nigel!" came at that moment from the other side of the
obstruction, "are you there--all right?"

"Yes, yes--I'm here--not all right exactly, but I'll be all right _some
day_, you may depend upon that!" shouted the youth, in a tone of
indignant exasperation.

"What said you?" asked Van der Kemp, putting his head through the hole.

"Hi! I's a-comin', look out, dar!" hallooed Moses in the opposite
direction.

"Just so," said Nigel, resuming his quiet tone and demeanour, "we'll be
all right when the light comes. Here, give us your hand, Van der Kemp."

The hermit accepted the proffered aid and leaped down amongst his
friends just as Moses arrived with the lantern.

"It's of no use going further," he said. "The passage is completely
blocked up--so we must go round to where the mountain has been split off
and try to clamber up. There will be daylight enough yet if we are
quick. Come."

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

THE LAST.

Descending to the boat they rowed round to the face of the great cliff
which had been so suddenly laid bare when the Peak of Rakata was cleft
from its summit to its foundations in the sea. It w