THE STRAWBERRY PARTY. 215 



An hour, a long and anxious hour passed on, while Lionel, pale 

 and exhausted, could with difficulty retain his foot-hold on the 

 narrow ledge beside the half-senseless boy. At length came 

 Cousin Tom with two stout farmers and plenty of ropes. 

 Charlie, bruised and bleeding, was drawn up from his perilous 

 position, and then, with the assistance of the ropes, Lionel 

 clambered up the frightful ascent. A carriage, which cousin 

 Tom's providence had ordered, awaited them at the edge of 

 the wood, and Charlie, borne on a sort of hammock made of 

 Alice's cachemere, to which he owed so much, was safely 

 deposited within it ; while Lionel, notwithstanding his exhaus- 

 tion insisted upon walking with us. 



Upon our arrival at home, it was found that Charlie had 

 broken his arm and was seriously bruised, but no fatal injury 

 had been sustained. He was soon as well, though not quite 

 as fool-hardy, as ever, and a deep scar on his beautiful 

 forehead remained to remind him, for the rest of his life, of his 

 debt of gratitude to Lionel Morton. But the most serious and 

 lasting consequences of the adventure were experienced by the 

 courageous student and the haughty belle. The undeveloped 

 sensibility of Alice's nature had been suddenly awakened, and 

 all her petty affectations had disappeared before true feeling ; 

 while Lionel had lost all his indolent dreaminess of mind in the 

 strons excitement of self-sacrifice. 



o 



Before the next June they were married, and they have never 

 yet found reason to regret the results of our Strawberry party. 



