that he was safe; but at that very moment a great mass of earth, dislodged by those above, fell round about him; a portion of it struck him on the shoulder, and in the effort he made to avoid it, he lost his footing and fell! Quick as lightning-quicker, perhaps the conviction flashed through his mind that his last moment was come. But his fall, though, under the circumstances, so perilous and alarming, was, in effect, almost nothing; for he caught hold of the rock with his hands, and after hanging from it for a moment, recovered his position, and sat astride upon it, breathless, indeed, and panting, but not less securely than before. The anxiety of those who had watched him from the projecting point, and who had given him up for lost, was relieved, and they waited with feverish impatience to see the rope lowered before any fresh catastrophe should occur. "I'll go down this time," said Hudson. "I must and will." But he was easily dissuaded. The boy who had nerve enough to do what Tom had done would require no help for himself. They must send the rope down to him; that would be sufficient; to do more would embarrass him, and perhaps expose him to fresh dangers. The edge of the cliff was evidently very loose, and the less they approached it the better. It was dangerous for those above, and still more so for the little hero perched upon the rock below. It was getting dark too. Evening had closed in while they were busy, and the spot on which all their interest centred could no longer be distinctly seen from their point of observation. They would have waited for more efficient help, but every moment was precious. So the rope was lowered again with a stone attached to it to give it steadiness; lowered and drawn up repeatedly, falling always to the left or the right, or somewhere out of reach of the poor boy who sat waiting for it, and who could not stir from his narrow ledge, nor make any effort to grasp it beyond stretching out his arms vainly towards it.

Matters were in this state when Dr. Piercey arrived from Abbotscliff, accompanied by many of the elder boys, and by some of the masters, Mr. Grantly among them. The first object that met their view was little Martin sitting on the turf, surrounded by the women from the farm, who were taking great care of him, and vainly trying to satisfy his inquiries about his friend Tom Howard. He was himself unhurt, and rose to meet the doctor when he approached.

"So then," cried Dr. Piercey, greatly relieved, "you are rescued. Well, you have given us a pretty alarm. Not hurt, I hope? But sit down again. We must find a conveyance presently to take you home."

The boy was trembling violently, and threw himself upon the ground lamenting and sobbing.

"Poor boy! It has been a great shock to his nerves," said the doctor. "But what are they doing yonder?"

"There's another down there now," one of the men replied, in husky tones. "They have only changed places; and it don't seem as if they could get him up, as they did this one."

"Who is it?" Mr. Grantly asked.

"Howard. Tom Howard!" little Martin exclaimed, with a passionate burst of sorrow.

"He would go down," the man continued, " to fetch this here lad up, and now there's no getting the rope to reach him. It's dark too, and there has been a fall of earth, and they are obliged to be careful."

The doctor, who had felt immensely relieved at the first sight of Martin safe and sound, now grew doubly anxious, and went from group to group asking questions, until he had made himself master of the situation.

"I have sent to the coastguard station," he said. "Some men will be here directly; we had better wait for them."

We must wait, I am afraid," said Hudson. “We are groping in the dark; doing no good, and in danger every moment of throwing down the loose stuff from the edge of the cliff upon him. There goes another clump; Lord help him!"

They stood still and listened, shuddering and breathless. The rustling of the soil was heard as it rolled down the face of the cliff, and then bounded away into the depths below; and when that had ceased, a faint cry came back out of the gloom and darkness: "All right-thank God," it said—“ All right.” The first accents were audible only to one or two of quicker hearing and instinct than the rest; but the last words, All right," were louder and sharper, and fell upon every ear, clear, though tremulous.

The coastguard-men were soon upon the spot, and a consultation was held. "They could do nothing in the dark," they said; "the moon would rise soon after midnight, and if the night should be clear-of which they were doubtful, for the wind was moaning from the south, and a few drops of rain had began to fall-they might do something then. It was dangerous working in the dark, not for themselves, they did not mean that, but for the poor lad, on account of the crumbling soil above him. It was a dreadful situation for him; he must be a 'good plucked one' to have ventured down there to save another boy, and to call out so bravely and cheerfully in the midst of his peril. But pluck would not hold out long in a child like that, only twelve years of age. Lord help him!"

"Make fires," Mr. Grantly cried, "pull down the fences, burn anything and everything; something must be done to keep heart in the boy. The best man that ever lived would get cowed before long, alone in such peril, and in darkness. Keep up a good blaze yonder where the cliff stands forward. We may be able to work by it and fetch him up at once."