“Is he—­is he—­do you think he is—­” Pearl’s voice broke in anguish.

“No, I don’t.  He ain’t lookin’ that way,” said Mrs. Nitschkan, with such force and heartiness that Pearl was immediately reassured.  “He’s jus’ got the sense knocked out of him.  I don’t jus’ see yet how we’re goin’ to get the ropes fastened to him, so’s he can be drug up.”

“I’m going down to him.  I’ll fasten them.”

“You!  And yet I don’t know but what it ain’t best.  It’ll take all the strength Jose and I’ve got to draw him up careful and not go bumping him too much against the rocks.”

Pearl took off her shoes, then, shutting her lips tightly and reassuring herself with the knowledge that the rock was rough and she was sure-footed, she lowered herself over the side of the ravine and reached for a foothold.  Presently she found it, and then another.  Slowly, with cut and bleeding hands, she made her way down.  Half way, perhaps, she grasped a little bush which seemed to spring securely from the cliff and held tightly to this until she could grasp another jutting point of rock and then another bush, until at last, with a great sobbing sigh, she found her feet planted on what seemed sure ground.  It was the trunks and the outspreading branches of the same pine trees which held Seagreave.  She took a second to draw a long breath, and then, holding cautiously to a little branch, she bent over him.

With infinite tenderness she attempted to straighten out one leg which was doubled beneath him, but he moaned and sighed so that she desisted, seeing from the limp way that it lay that it was broken.  He had evidently fallen on his back; and like a dagger zig-zagging its way through her heart was the thought, “What if that, too, were broken?”

Oh, how should they get him up without injuring him further and cruelly hurting him with the ropes.  And he must be so cold.  She shivered herself in the damp, icy air of this ravine.  She called up to Mrs. Nitschkan to swing down to her her long cape, which she had discarded before beginning her climb.  The gypsy did so carefully, but just as she let the end of it go a gust of wind swept it in slow circles down the ravine.

Mrs. Nitschkan uttered more or less profane exclamations of disgust; but Pearl said nothing.  After her first feeling of intense disappointment, a new idea had come to her, and she hastened to act upon it.  As quickly as she could with her torn fingers she unfastened her gown and slipped out of it, and then, unheeding Mrs. Nitschkan, who was scolding her like a magpie, she threw it over Seagreave, tucking it about him as best she could.  The breath of the snow-damp air upon her shoulders and arms was like a bath of ice water, but she scarcely noticed it, for she heard Mrs. Nitschkan welcoming Jose.

[Illustration:  “Holding cautiously to a little branch, she bent over him.”]

He and the gypsy immediately began swinging great coils of rope over the cliff.