Desiree saw the movement and, turning, caught sight of me. A
sudden cry of amazement burst from her lips; she made a hasty
step forward and fell fainting into my arms.
I shook her violently, but she remained unconscious, and this
added catastrophe all but unnerved me. For a moment I stood on
the upper step with the upper half of my body, swaying from side
to side, extending beyond the top of the column; then I turned
and began to descend with Desiree in my arms.
Every step of that descent was unspeakable agony. Feeling was
hardly in me; my whole body was an engine of pain. Somehow, I
staggered and stumbled downward; at every step I expected to fall
headlong to the bottom with my burden. Desiree's form remained
limp and lifeless in my arms.
I reached the ledge on which the vats had been placed and passed
it; air entered my burning lungs like a breeze from the
mountains. Every step now made the next one easier. I began to
think that I might, after all, reach the bottom in safety.
Another twenty steps and I could see the beginning of the tunnel
below.
Desiree's form stirred slightly in my arms. A glance showed me
her eyes looking up into mine as her head lay back on my
shoulder.
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