Then Chiquita tied the cord firmly to the
ornamental iron railing of the tiny balcony, with a knot that could not
slip, climbed over, and grasping the cord with both hands, swung herself
off, and hung suspended over the waters of the moat far below. Isabelle
held her breath. With a rapid motion of the hands Chiquita crossed the
clear space, reached the tree safely, and climbed down into it with the
agility of a monkey.
"Now undo the knot so that I can take the cord with me," she said, in
a low but very distinct tone of voice to Isabelle, who began to breathe
freely again, "unless, indeed, you would like to follow me. But you
would be frightened and dizzy, and might fall, so you had better stay
where you are. Good-bye! I am going straight to Paris, and shall soon be
back again; I can get on quickly in this bright moonlight."
Isabelle did as she was bid, and the branch, being no longer held by
the cord, swung back to its original position. In less than a minute
Chiquita had scrambled down to the ground, and the captive soon lost
sight of her slender little figure as she walked off briskly towards the
capital.
All that had just occurred seemed like a strange dream to Isabelle, now
that she found herself alone again. She remained for some time at the
open casement, looking at the great tree opposite, and trembling as she
realized the terrible risk Chiquita had run for her sake--feeling warm
gratitude and tender affection for the wild, incomprehensible little
creature, who manifested such a strong attachment for herself, and a new
hope sprang up in her heart as she thought that now de Sigognac would
soon know where to find her.
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