The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-04-05

InlS was Dy TaT the best thing that
she could have done. The steady en-
ployment quieted her overstrained
nerves, and her spirits rose with the
thought that she was herself doing some
thing TO aid her own liberation. She
wisely decided to give her ladder the
simplest possible form, by knotting at
intervals into the long rope that she was
making small cross pieces of wood, to
serve as rests for her hands. and feet.
With these she supplied herself from the
spoires Of an old fashioned bedstead ia
the next room to her own, and during
the long hours of that sleepleas night the
work went rapidly on.
The next day it went on more rapidly
still and was half finished by nightfali;
but how could she find out what length
it ought to be?
A thought struck her. Sitting on the
summit of the Pit tower, over q piece of
embroidery which she had lately com
menced, she contrived to let one Of her
balls Of silk roll as if by accident (for a
keen eye was watching her from a
neighboring turret) over the edge Of the
batslement. Running out its whole
length as it fell, while she held the other
end, it reached to within two or three
feet Of the ground, and thus she got the
exact measure.
BY noon the next day: the work was
done, and in the afternoon Princess
Madeleine went for a ride over the hills,
attended as usual by two Of the jailers
who called themselves her servants.
She was three or four miles from the
castle, and had just pulled UP her horse
after q smart canter, when tattered
old white bearded beggar hobbled up to
her with q whining petition for aims.
But as his eyes met hers they darted at
her keen, warning glance, and he
whispered in the voice of Henri de Nor
femart:
"Is the ladder finishedr
REFRESHING by violent effort the
start that would have betrayed her
Madeleine answered Eyes, while
throwing small silver coin into his
outstretched hat.
BE ready then at nightfall on the
third evening hence, when you shall
hear my guitar in the thickets," said
the seeming beggar, in q tone audible
only to her, and with clumsy gesture
of thanks he turned and limped away
down the path.
That night Madeleine, having listened
long and warify for any sound Of move
ment in the silent case. made up her
rope ladder into bundle, in order to
carry it to the Pit tower. But to her
understandable dismay she found it so
heavy that she could hardly raise it
from the ground. much less carry it up
the steep, high stair Of the tower.
But the brave girl was not easily
checked with life and freedom before
her. She dragged the rope ladder after
her along the passage and up the wind
ing stair, reaching the top of the tower
so utterly exhausted that she was forced
to sit down and gasp for breath. But
the moment her strength began to re-
turn she was at work again, knotting
the end of her ladder to a broken iron
stanchion which had once served to So
cure flagstaff, and then she began to
let it down, coil after coil, between two
great masses of ivy, the deep shadow OF
which would even in the day time make
it quite invisible from below,
With all her care, it made a rustling
among the leaves which sounded terri
bly, loud amid that tomb like silence.
Had any one heard it? She ciinched her
teeth in desperation IS she listened, firm
lyresolved that il detected now she would
fling herself headlorg from the tower
rather than see her last hope of liberty
melt away. But allswas still. and with
the slow, mechanical step of a sleep walk
er she descended the perilous stair.
But now that all was done, and moth
ing left for her but to wait, the slow
torture became all but uncomfortable.
The nearer the time Of her dehvance
came the more Impossible y appeared.
The rope ladder would De uncovered;
Henri would be delayed by some accl-
dent; keretsenY would return De-
fore the time, or would perhaps sur
prise them in the very act OF escaping,
and wreak upon them both tine Iul fury
of that helfish vengeance OF wnlcn she
had already seen so many fearful proofs.
Would the third evening never conner
1t came at last-ch1l, dreary, osrK'
with coming storm, and as the red glare