It was the staggering step of a drunken man. He broke maudlingly into a song when immediately abreast of us, ceased his noise suddenly and halted. This was a little passage of agony, I can assure you! The dog continued to utter its sullen, deep-throated bark in single strokes like the beat of a bell. Presently there was a sound as of the scrambling and crunching of feet, followed with the noise of a lurching tread; the man fell to drunkenly singing to himself again and so passed away up the lane. Caudel fastened the end of the twine to the ladder, and then grunted out: "All ready for hoisting." "Grace, my sweet," I whispered, "do you hear me?" "Distinctly, dearest; but I am so frightened!" "Pull up this ladder softly and hook the irons on to the rim of the balcony." "Blast that dawg!" growled Caudel, "dummed if I don't think he smells us." The ladder went rising into the air. "It is hooked, Herbert." "All right, Caudel, swing off upon the end of it--test it, and then aloft with you for mercy's sake!" The three metal rungs held the ropes bravely stretched apart. The seaman sprang, and the ladder held as though it had been the shrouds of a man-of-war. "Now, Caudel, you are a seaman--you must do the rest," said I. He had removed his boots, and, mounting with cat-like agility, gained the balcony; then taking my sweetheart in his arms he lifted her over the rail and lowered her with his powerful arms until her little feet were half-way down the ladder. She uttered one or two faint exclamations, but was happily too frightened to cry out. "Now, Mr. Barclay," hoarsely whispered Caudel, "you kitch hold of her, sir." I grasped the ladder with one hand, and passed my arm round her waist; my stature made the feat an easy one; thus holding her to me I sprang back, then for an instant strained her to my heart with a whisper of joy, gratitude, and encouragement. "You are as brave as you are true and sweet, Grace." "Oh, Herbert!" she panted, "I can think of nothing. I am very wicked and feel horribly frightened." "Mr. Barclay," softly called Caudel from the balcony, "what's to be done with this here ladder?" "Let it be, let it be," I answered. "Bear a hand, Caudel, and come down." He was alongside of us in a trice, pulling on his boots. I held my darling's hand, and the three of us made for the hole in the hedge with all possible speed. But the cabbages were very much in the way of Grace's dress, and so urgent was the need to make haste that, I believe, in my fashion of helping her, I carried her one way or another more than half the distance across that wide tract of kitchen-garden stuff.