"Oh, I'm scared," wailed the child, but she obediently sat down on a chair to await the boys' return.
Inside the room they found a handsome, middle-aged woman lying half dressed on the floor, in a faint. Apparently, she had risen and begun dressing hastily when the first shock of the bomb came, but the effort had been too much for her, and she had collapsed. The boys picked her up as gently as possible and tried to revive her, but their efforts met with no success.
Outside, the glare and roar of the flames were increasing. There was no time to be lost.
"There's only one thing to do," said Bill seriously.
"And that is what? I'm stupid," confessed Jack.
"We must make a rope of bed clothes and lower her and the child down."
"Good. I believe we can get out of this."
They hastily tore the clothes of the two beds in the room and made a long rope of them. When this had been done, they took a turn of their "rope" round the marble pillar at the head of the wrecked staircase. But then came a fresh difficulty. There was no one on the floor below, though they shouted to attract attention. Obviously someone would have to be there to catch the woman and untie her when she was lowered.
"You go," said Jack. "I guess I'm strong enough to lower you."
"And leave you here in danger of the flames?" protested Bill, for it was getting uncomfortably hot now, and the smoke was blinding.
"I'll be all right, if we hurry," said Jack. "Go ahead, Bill, there's not a minute to be lost."
"Never mind any 'buts'--it's a matter of life and death."
So Bill reluctantly looped the "rope" under his arms and then Jack lowered the young engineer to the next floor. This done, Jack had a hard task in front of him. He had to fasten the life-line round the woman and lift her to the edge of the gulf.
This he accomplished by knotting the rope to the marble pillar, tying it securely at just such a length as would allow its unconscious burden to be suspended over the gap in the stairway. This was accomplished. She was lowered, and in a short time the woman was received by Bill, who released her from the line with all speed. Then came the little girl's turn. She was terrified at the idea, but at last Jack, with the loss of much valuable time, succeeded in persuading her to make the attempt.