Part 58 (2/2)

It was hard to believe that death had in reality taken possession of the still form stretched as in repose before us Her body, still war with the instinct of life; but the eyes were not the eyes of Desiree I closed theled mass of hair as well as possible over her shoulders As I did so the air, set in olden strands to treently across her lips; and Harry bent forith a painful eagerness, thinking that she had breathed

”Dearest,” he ht her swelling bosoly even into mine, shot into my heart and unnerved me

I rose to my feet, scarcely able to stand, and moved away

But the fate that had finally intervened for us--too late, alas! for one--did not leave us long with our dead Even now I do not knohat happened; at the time I knew even less Harry told me afterward that the first shock came at the instant he had taken Desiree in his arms and pressed his lips to hers

I had crossed to the other side of the passage and was gazing back toward the chasround, absolutely without warning, tremble violently under my feet

At the sa of distant cannon

I sprang toward Harry with a cry of alare, when a deafening roar smote my ear, and the entire wall of the cavern appeared to be failing in upon us At the saround seemed to sink directly away beneathdoith a velocity that stunned my senses and took away my breath; and then all was confusion and chaos--and oblivion

When I awoke I was lying flat onat my side I opened reater exertion

”Paul!” cried Harry ”Speak to o mad!”

He told me afterward that I had lain unconscious for many hours, but that appeared to be all that he kne far we had fallen, or how he had foundcrushed to pieces by the falling rock, he was unable to say; and I concluded that he, too, had been rendered unconscious by the fall, and for some time dazed and bewildered by the shock

Well! We were alive--that was all

For eak and faint froue, and one mass of bruises and blisters fro like twenty-four hours Heaven only knohere we found the energy to rise and go in search of it; it is incredible that any creatures in such a pitiable and miserable condition as ere could have been propelled by hope, unless it is indeed i, ent forward

The place where we had found ourselves was a jumbled mass of boulders and broken rock, but we soon discovered a passage, level and straight as any tunnel built by man

Down this we made our way Every few feet we stopped to rest Neither of us spoke a word I really had no sense of any purpose in our progress; I crept on exactly as some anier strength for another step, when they lie down for the final breath

We saater nor pro stretch of dirim, black walls on either side That, I think, for hours; it see after the other with infinite effort and pain; Harry was ahead, and so back over his shoulder to find me at some distance behind, he would turn over and lie on his back till I approached Then again to his knees and again forward Neither of us spoke

Suddenly, at a great distance down the passage, much further than I had been able to see before, I sahat appeared to be a white wall extending directly across our path

I called to Harry and pointed it out to hih in wonder that I should have troubled hiht an object of interest, and crawled on

But the white wall became whiter still, and soon I saw that it was not a wall A wild hope surged through me; I felt the blood mount dizzily to my head, and I stilled the clamor that beat at my temples by an extreme effort of the will ”It can't be,” I said to myself aloud, over and over; ”it can't be, it can't be”

Harry turned, and his face was as white as when he had knelt by the body of Desiree, and his eye ild

”You fool,” he roared, ”it is!”

We went faster then Another hundred yards, and the thing was certain; there it was before us We scrambled to our feet and tried to run; I reeled and fell, then picked ain and followed Harry, who had not even halted as I had fallen The e was now but a few feet away; I reached Harry's side, blinking and stunned with amazement and the incredible wonder of it