It was very shuddery and dreadful; but we poor girls could do nothing but grasp the rope and hold our breath, and, as Clara said, hold our tongues; though Patty would keep letting go, and staring out of the window when she was not wanted to. "Won't I tease him about this," she said. "Only see, the first time he finds fault with my exercises." "Hush! you foolish child," I exclaimed. "Good gracious me! you must never say a word to him about it, under any consideration." "Mustn't I?" said Patty, as innocently as could be. "No, of course not," cried Clara; "that would ruin everything." For I was now reaching as far as could be out of the window, to see what poor Achille was about; for the rope seemed to be doing nothing, and did not jerk as if he was getting higher and higher. And then, oh, dear! if I could not just see one of his feet where his head was last time I looked; for he was sitting upon the sill of the first floor window--the best bedroom, which was, of course, empty--and, I suppose, resting himself. All at once, though, I heard him whisper-- "Is de ting sauf?" "Yes, yes," I whispered in reply. And then the rope crunched upon the cornice, as if he had again committed to it his weight, when I drew in my head and waited, trembling, for him to reach the window; and it did seem such a long time to come so short a distance; but, as he told me afterwards, the loops would keep slipping away when he wanted to put his feet in them, besides the rope spinning him round until he was giddy. At last I looked out again, and then drew back my head in agony; for if he was not hanging by one leg, head downwards, just like my poor Dick, the canary, did in London, when it caught its claw in the wire of the cage and could not get loose. As I said, I drew in my head, quite in an agony of fear; but the rope jerked about so that I was obliged to gaze once more, and then I ejaculated, quite loudly-- "Oh, Achille!" "Eh, yais, oui," he exclaimed. "I 'ave put in mine's foot." "In what--in what, mon cher?" I whispered. "Oh," he gasped, in a thick voice, "mais je suis giddy. I 'ave puts my foot trou de loops, and cannot get him back." "Oh, pray come in!" cried Clara, who had heard every word, and seemed quite horrified--"pray come in and shut the window. Let's go away." "Oh, nonsense," I said, "he will be hung: he will die! His head is hanging down, and his leg sticking up in the rope. He has slipped. Whatever shall we do?" "Why don't you cut the rope?" said Patty; but of course no one took any notice of her. "Let's unhook the things," whispered Clara, "and then drop him down into the laurustinus." "Oh, how can you be so stupid!" I panted. "It would kill him: he's right above the first floor window-sill." "Well, but we can't shut the window with those things there," said Clara; "and it will not do to be found out."