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aughter　of　the　house　excite　ment。　And；　conversely；　daughters　of　the　house　who　talk　in　secluded　rooms　with　waiters　also　find　explanations　necessary。　He　must　withdraw。　He　must　withdraw　quickly。　And；　as　a　gesture　from　Maud　indicated；　the　withdrawal　must　be　effected　through　the　french　window　opening　on　the　balcony。　Estimating　the　distance　that　separated　him　from　the　approaching　Plummer　at　three　stairsthe　voice　had　e　from　belowand　a　landing；　the　space　of　time　allotted　to　him　by　a　hustling　Fate　for　disappearing　was　some　four　seconds。　　Inside　two　and　half；　the　french　window　had　opened　and　closed；　and　George　was　out　under　the　stars；　with　the　cool　winds　of　the　night　playing　on　his　heated　forehead。
　He　had　now　time　for　meditation。　There　are　few　situations　which　provide　more　scope　for　meditation　than　that　of　the　man　penned　up　on　a　small　balcony　a　considerable　distance　from　the　ground；　with　his　only　avenue　of　retreat　cut　off　behind　him。　So　George　meditated。　First；　he　mused　on　Plummer。　He　thought　some　hard　thoughts　about　Plummer。　Then　he　brooded　on　the　unkindness　of　a　fortune　which　had　granted　him　the　opportunity　of　this　meeting　with　Maud；　only　to　snatch　it　away　almost　before　it　had　begun。　He　wondered　how　long　the　late　Lord　Leonard　had　been　permitted　to　talk　on　that　occasion　before　he；　too；　had　had　to　retire　through　these　same　windows。　There　was　no　doubt　about　one　thing。　Lovers　who　chose　that　room　for　their　interviews　seemed　to　have　very　little　luck。
　It　had　not　occurred　to　George　at　first　that　there　could　be　any　further　disadvantage　attached　to　his　position　other　than　the　obvious　drawbacks　which　had　already　e　to　his　notice。　He　was　now　to　perceive　that　he　had　been　mistaken。　A　voice　was　speaking　in　the　room　he　had　left；　a　plainly　audible　voice；　deep　and　throaty；　and　within　a　minute　George　had　bee　aware　that　he　was　to　suffer　the　additional　disfort　of　being　obliged　to　listen　to　a　fellow　manone　could　call　Plummer　that　by　stretching　the　facts　a　littleproposing　marriage。　The　gruesomeness　of　the　situation　became　intensified。　Of　all　moments　when　a　manand　justice　pelled　George　to　admit　that　Plummer　was　technically　humanof　all　moments　when　a　man　may　by　all　the　laws　of　decency　demand　to　be　alone　without　an　audience　of　his　own　sex；　the　chiefest　is　the　moment　when　he　is　asking　a　girl　to　marry　him。　George's　was　a　sensitive　nature；　and　he　writhed　at　the　thought　of　playing　the　eavesdropper　at　such　a　time。
　He　looked　frantically　about　him　for　a　means　of　escape。　Plummer　had　now　reached　the　stage　of　saying　at　great　length　that　he　was　not　worthy　of　Maud。　He　said　it　over　and　over；　again　in　different　ways。　George　was　in　hearty　agreement　with　him；　but　he　did　not　want　to　hear　it。　He　wanted　to　get　away。　But　how？　　Lord　Leonard　on　a　similar　occasion　had　leaped。　Some　might　argue　therefore　on　the　principle　that　what　man　has　done；　man　can　do；　that　George　should　have　imitated　him。　But　men　differ。　　There　was　a　man　attached　to　a　circus　who　used　to　dive　off　the　roof　of　Madison　Square　Garden　on　to　a　sloping　board；　strike　it　with　his　chest；　turn　a　couple　of　somersaults；　reach　the　ground；　bow　six　times　and　go　off　to　lunch。　That　sort　of　thing　is　a　gift。　　Some　of　us　have　it；　some　have　not。　George　had　not。　Painful　as　it　was　to　hear　Plummer　floundering　through　his　proposal　of　marriage；　instinct　told　him　that　it　would　be　far　more　painful　to　hurl　himself　out　into　mid…air　on　the　sporting　chance　of　having　his　downward　progress　arrested　by　the　branches　of　the　big　tree　that　had　upheld　Lord　Leonard。　No；　there　seemed　nothing　for　it　but　to　remain　where　he　was。
　Inside　the　room　Plummer　was　now　saying　how　much　the　marriage　would　please　his　mother。
　〃Psst！〃
　George　looked　about　him。　It　seemed　to　him　that　he　had　heard　a　voice。　He　listened。　No。　Except　for　the　barking　of　a　distant　dog；　the　faint　wailing　of　a　waltz；　the　rustle　of　a　roosting　bird；　and　the　sound　of　Plummer　saying　that　if　her　refusal　was　due　to　anything　she　might　have　heard　about　that　breach…of…promise　case　of　his　a　couple　of　years　ago　he　would　like　to　state　that　he　was　more　sinned　against　than　sinning　and　that　the　girl　had　absolutely　misunderstood　him；　all　was　still。
　〃Psst！　Hey；　mister！〃
　It　was　a　voice。　It　came　from　above。　Was　it　an　angel's　voice？　　Not　altogether。　It　was　Albert's。　The　boy　was　leaning　out　of　a　window　some　six　feet　higher　up　the　castle　wall。　George；　his　eyes　by　now　grown　used　to　the　darkness；　perceived　that　the　stripling　gesticulated　as　one　having　some　message　to　impart。　　Then；　glancing　to　one　side；　he　saw　what　looked　like　some　kind　of　a　rope　swayed　against　the　wall。　He　reached　for　it。　The　thing　was　not　a　rope：　it　was　a　knotted　sheet。
　From　above　came　Albert's　hoarse　whisper。
　〃Look　alive！〃
　This　was　precisely　what　George　wanted　to　do　for　at　least　another　fifty　years　or　so；　and　it　seemed　to　him　as　he　stood　there　in　the　starlight；　gingerly　fingering　this　flimsy　linen　thing；　that　if　he　were　to　suspend　his　hundred　and　eighty　pounds　of　bone　and　sinew　at　the　end　of　it　over　the　black　gulf　outside　the　balcony　he　would　look　alive　for　about　five　seconds；　and　after　that　goodness　only　knew　how　he　would　look。　He　knew　all　about　knotted　sheets。　He　had　read　a　hundred　stories　in　which　heroes；　heroines；　low　edy　friends　and　even　villains　did　all　sorts　of　reckless　things　with　their　assistance。　There　was　not　much　fort　to　be　derived　from　that。　It　was　one　thing　to　read　about　people　doing　silly　things　like　that；　quite　another　to　do　them　yourself。　　He　gave　Albert's　sheet　a　tentative　shake。　In　all　his　experience　he　thought　he　had　never　e　across　anything　so　supremely　unstable。　（One　calls　it　Albert's　sheet　for　the　sake　of　convenience。　　It　was　really　Reggie　Byng's　sheet。　And　when　Reggie　got　to　his　room　in　the　small　hours　of　the　morning　and　found　the　thing　a　mass　of　knots　he　jumped　to　the　conclusion　being　a　simple…hearted　young　manthat　his　bosom　friend　Jack　Ferris；　who　had　e　up　from　London　to　see　Lord　Belpher　through　the　trying　　experience　of　a　ing…of…age　party；　had　done　it　as　a　practical　　joke；　and　went　and　poured　a　jug　of　water　over　Jack's　bed。　That　is　　Life。　Just　one　long　succession　of　misunderstandings　and　rash　acts　　and　what　not。　Absolutely！）
　Albert　was　being　impatient。　He　was　in　the　position　of　a　great　general　who　thinks　out　some　wonderful　piece　of　strategy　and　can't　get　his　army　to　carry　it　out。　Many　boys；　seeing　Plummer　enter　the　room　below　and　listening　at　the　keyhole　and　realizing　that　George　must　have　hidden　somewhere　and　deducing　that　he　must　be　out　on　the　balcony；　would　have　been　baffled　as　to　how　to　proceed。　Not　so　Albert。　To　dash　up　to　Reggie　Byng's　room　and　strip　his　sheet　off　the　bed　and　tie　it　to　the　bed…post　and　fashion　a　series　of　knots　in　it　and　lower　it　out　of　the　window　took　Albert　about　three　minutes。　His　part　in　the　business　had　been　performed　without　a　hitch。　And　now　George；　who　had　nothing　in　the　world　to　do　but　the　childish　task　of　climbing　up　the　sheet；　was　jeopardizing　the　success　of　the　whole　scheme　by　delay。　Albert　gave　the　sheet　an　irritable　jerk。
　It　was　the　worst　thing　he　could　have　done。　George　had　almost　made　up　his　mind　to　take　a　chance　when　the　sheet　was　snatched　from　his　grasp　as　if　it　had　been　some　live　thing　deliberately　eluding　his　clutch。　The　thought　of　what　would　have　happened　had　this　occurred　when　he　was　in　mid…air　caused　him　to　break　out　in　a　cold　perspiration。　He　retired　a　pace　and　perched　himself　on　the　rail　of　the　balcony。
　〃Psst！〃　said　Albert。
　〃It's　no　good　saying；　'Psst！'〃　rejoined　George　in　an　annoyed　undertone。　〃I　could　say　〃Psst！〃　Any　fool　could　say　'Psst！'〃
　Albert；　he　considered　in　leaning　out　of　the　window　and　saying　〃Psst！〃　was　merely　touching　the　fringe　of　the　subject。
　It　is　probable　that　he　would　have　remained　seated　on　the　balcony　rail　regarding　the　sheet　with　cold　aversion；　indefinitely；　had　not　his　hand　been　forced　by　the　man　Plummer。　Plummer；　during　these　last　minutes；　had　shot　his　bolt。　He　had　said　everything　that　a　man　could　say；　much　of　it　twice　over；　and　now　he　was　through。　All　was　ended。　The　verdict　was　in。　No　wedding…bells　for　Plummer。
　〃I　think；〃　said　Plummer　gloomily；　and　the　words　smote　on　George's　ear　like　a　knell；　〃I　think　I'd　like　a　little　air。〃
　George　leaped　from　his　rail　like　a　hunted　grasshopper。　If　Plummer　was　looking　for　air；　it　meant　that　he　was　going　to　e　out　on　the　balcony。　There　was　only　one　thing　to　be　done。　It　probably　meant　the　abrupt　conclusion　of　a　promising　career；　but　he　could　hesitate　no　longer。
　George　grasped　the　sheetit　felt　like　a　rope　of　cobwebsand　swung　himself　out。
　Maud　looked　out　on　to　the　balcony。　Her　heart　which　had　stood　still　when　the　rejected　one　opened　the　window　and　stepped　forth　to　mune　with　the　soothing　stars；　beat　again。　There　was　no　one　there；　only　emptiness　and　Plummer。
　〃This；〃　said　Plummer　sombrely；　gazing　over　the　rail　into　the　darkness；　〃is　the　place　where　that　fellow　what's…his…name　jumped　off　in　the　reign　of　thingummy；　isn't　it？〃
　Maud　understood　now；　and　a　thrill　of　the　purest　admiration　for　George's　heroism　swept　over　her。　So　rather　than　promise　her；　he　had　done　Leonard's　leap！　How　splendid　of　him！　If　George；　now　sitting　on　Reggie　Byng's　bed　taking　a　rueful　census　of　the　bits　of　skin　remaining　on　his　hands　and　knees　after　his　climb　could　read　her　thoughts；　he　would　have　felt　well　rew