"He has promised," said Augustus, "for certain consi-de-ra-tions, to allow me to knock him down; he has also promised to be so much hurt as not to be able to move until we are over the wall.

Our main difficulty now, then, is the first step,--namely, to climb the pipe unperceived!" "As to that," said Paul, who developed, through the whole of the scheme, organs of sagacity, boldness, and invention which charmed his friend, and certainly promised well for his future career,--"as to that, I think we may manage the first ascent with less danger than you imagine.

The mornings of late have been very foggy; they are almost dark at the hour we go to chapel.

Let you and I close the file: the pipe passes just above the door; our hands, as we have tried, can reach it; and a spring of no great agility will enable us to raise ourselves up to a footing on the pipe and the skirting-board.
"The climbing then is easy; and what with the dense fog and our own quickness, I think we shall have little difficulty in gaining the garden.

The only precautions we need use are, to wait for a very dark morning, and to be sure that we are the last of the file, so that no one behind may give the alarm--" "Or attempt to follow our example, and spoil the pie by a superfluous plum!" added Augustus.