He saw her standing in the middle of the room, her clenched hands pressed to her lips. At the angle from which he peered into the room, her head was in line with the lighted transom.
His grip on the ledge was firm but his foothold on the lattice precarious. He felt himself slipping. Exerting all of his strength he drew himself upward, free of the vines that had begun to yield to his weight.
An almost inaudible "Whew!" escaped his lips as he straddled the sill. An instant later he was in the room.
"Why have you come up here?" She came swiftly to his side.
"Thank the Lord, I made it," he whispered, breathlessly. "I came up because there was nowhere else to go. I thought I heard voices--a man and a woman speaking. They seemed to be quite close to me. Don't be alarmed, Miss Cameron. I am confident that I can--"
"And now that you are here, trapped as I am, what do you purpose to do? You cannot escape. Go back before it is too late. Go--"
"Is Sprouse--where is he?"
"He is somewhere in the house. I have heard no sound. I was to wait until he--Oh, Mr. Barnes, I--I am terrified. You will never know the--"
"Trust him," he said. "He is a marvel. We'll be safely out of here in a little while, and then it will all look simple to you. You are ready to go? Good! We will wait a few minutes and if he doesn't show up we'll--Why, you are trembling like a leaf! Sit down, do! If he doesn't return in a minute or two, I'll take a look about the house myself. I don't intend to desert him. I know this floor pretty well, and the lower one. The stairs are--"
"But the stairway is closed at the bottom by a solid steel curtain. It is made to look like a panel in the wall. Mr. Curtis had it put in to protect himself from burglars. You are not to venture outside this room, Mr. Barnes. I forbid it. You--"
"How did Sprouse get out? You said your door was locked."
He sat down on the edge of the bed beside her. She was still trembling violently. He took her hand in his and held it tightly.
"He had a key. I do not know where he obtained--"
"Skeleton key, such as burglars use. By Jove, what a wonderful burglar he would make! Courage, Miss Cameron! He will be here soon. Then comes the real adventure,--my part of it. I didn't come here to-night to get any flashy old crown jewels. I came to take you out of--"