My numbness was so great I could hardly move my limbs; but I crawled across Flurry somehow, and saw Dot creep into my place, and covered them with my cloak; and then I commenced to move slowly and carefully on my hands and knees up the rocky path. CHAPTER XVIII. "YOU BRAVE GIRL!" They told me afterward that this was a daring feat, and fraught with awful peril, for in that painful groping in the darkness I might have lost my balance and fallen back into the water. I was conscious of this at the time; but we cannot die until our hour is come, and in youth one's faith is more simple and trusting; to pray is to be heard, to grasp more tightly by the mantle of His Providence, so I committed myself to Heaven, and crept slowly along the face of the rock. In two or three minutes I felt cold air blowing down upon my face, and, raising myself cautiously, I found I was standing under an aperture, large enough for me to crawl through, which led to the downs. For one moment I breathed the fresh night air and caught the glimmer of starlight, and then I crept back to the children. Flurry was awake and weeping piteously, and Dot was trying to comfort her in a sleepy voice; but she was quiet the moment I told them about the hole. "I must leave you behind, Dot," I said, sorrowfully, "and take Flurry first;" and the brave little fellow said: "All right, Essie," and held back the dog, who was whining to follow. I put my arm round Flurry, and made her promise not to lose hold of the rock. The poor child was dreadfully frightened, and stopped every now and then, crying out in horror that she was falling into the water, but I held her fast and coaxed her to go on again; and all the time the clammy dews of terror stood on my forehead. Never to my dying day shall I forget those terrible moments. But we were mercifully preserved, and to my joy I felt the winds of heaven blowing round us, and in another moment Flurry had crawled through the hole in the rock, and was sitting shivering on the grass. "Now I must go back for Dot and Flossy," I exclaimed; but as I spoke and tried to disengage myself from Flurry's nervous grasp, I heard a little voice below. "I am here, Essie, and I have got Flossy all safe. Just stoop down and take him, and then I shall clamber up all right." "Oh, my darling, how could you?" The courageous child had actually dragged himself with the dog under one arm all along the dangerous path, to spare me another journey. I could scarcely speak, but I covered his cold little face with kisses as he tottered painfully into my arms--my precious boy, my brave, unselfish Dot! "I could not bring the crutches or the cloak, Essie," he whispered. "Never mind them," I replied, with a catch in my voice. "You are safe; we are all safe--that is all I can take in. I must carry you, Dot, and Flurry shall hold my dress, and we shall soon be home."