Bert came back in about half an hour flushed and sweating with the weight of the rope and with the speed he had made.He delivered it to Crass and then returned to his cellar and went on with the limewashing, while Crass passed the word for Philpot and the others to come and raise the ladder.He handed the rope to Ned Dawson, who took it up to the attic, accompanied by Sawkins; arrived there they lowered one end out of the window down to the others.
`If you ask me,' said Ned Dawson, who was critically examining the strands of the rope as he passed it out through the open window, 'If you ask me, I don't see as this is much better than the one we made up by tyin' the short pieces together.Look 'ere,' - he indicated a part of the rope that was very frayed and worn - `and 'ere's another place just as bad.'
`Well, for Christ's sake don't say nothing about it now,' replied Sawkins.`There's been enough talk and waste of time over this job already.'
Ned made no answer and the end having by this time reached the ground, Bundy made it fast to the ladder, about six rungs from the top.
The ladder was lying on the ground, parallel to the side of the house.
The task of raising it would have been much easier if they had been able to lay it at right angles to the house wall, but this was impossible because of the premises next door and the garden wall between the two houses.On account of its having to be raised in this manner the men at the top would not be able to get a straight pull on the rope; they would have to stand back in the room without being able to see the ladder, and the rope would have to be drawn round the corner of the window, rasping against the edge of the stone sill and the brickwork.
The end of the rope having been made fast to the top of the ladder, Crass and Harlow stood on the foot and the other three raised the top from the ground; as Barrington was the tallest, he took the middle position - underneath the ladder - grasping the rungs, Philpot being on his left and Bundy on his right, each holding one side of the ladder.
At a signal from Crass, Dawson and Sawkins began to haul on the rope, and the top of the ladder began to use slowly into the air.
Philpot was not of much use at this work, which made it all the harder for the other two who were lifting, besides putting an extra strain on the rope.His lack of strength, and the efforts of Barrington and Bundy to make up for him caused the ladder to sway from side to side, as it would not have done if they had all been equally capable.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Dawson and Sawkins - although the ladder was as yet only a little more than half the way up - noticed, as they hauled and strained on the rope, that it had worn a groove for itself in the corner of the brickwork at the side of the window; and every now and then, although they pulled with all their strength, they were not able to draw in any part of the rope at all; and it seemed to them as if those others down below must have let go their hold altogether, or ceased lifting.
That was what actually happened.The three men found the weight so overpowering, that once or twice they were compelled to relax their efforts for a few seconds, and at those times the rope had to carry the whole weight of the ladder; and the part of the rope that had to bear the greatest strain was the part that chanced to be at the angle of the brickwork at the side of the window.And presently it happened that one of the frayed and worn places that Dawson had remarked about was just at the angle during one of those momentary pauses.On one end there hung the ponderous ladder, straining the frayed rope against the corner of the brickwork and the sharp edge of the stone sill, at the other end were Dawson and Sawkins pulling with all their strength, and in that instant the rope snapped like a piece of thread.One end remained in the hands of Sawkins and Dawson, who reeled backwards into the room, and the other end flew up into the air, writhing like the lash of a gigantic whip.For a moment the heavy ladder swayed from side to side: Barrington, standing underneath, with his hands raised above his head grasping one of the rungs, struggled desperately to hold it up.At his right stood Bundy, also with arms upraised holding the side; and on the left, between the ladder and the wall, was Philpot.
For a brief space they strove fiercely to support the overpowering weight, but Philpot had no strength, and the ladder, swaying over to the left, crashed down, crushing him upon the ground and against the wall of the house.He fell face downwards, with the ladder across his shoulders; the side that had the iron bands twisted round it fell across the back of his neck, forcing his face against the bricks at the base of the wall.He uttered no cry and was quite still, with blood streaming from the cuts on his face and trickling from his ears.
Barrington was also hurled to the ground with his head and arms under the ladder; his head and face were cut and bleeding and he was unconscious; none of the others was hurt, for they had all had time to jump clear when the ladder fell.Their shouts soon brought all the other men running to the spot, and the ladder was quickly lifted off the two motionless figures.At first it seemed that Philpot was dead, but Easton rushed off for a neighbouring doctor, who came in a few minutes.
He knelt down and carefully examined the crushed and motionless form of Philpot, while the other men stood by in terrified silence.
Barrington, who fortunately was but momentarily stunned was sitting against the wall and had suffered nothing more serious than minor cuts and bruises.
The doctor's examination of Philpot was a very brief one, and when he rose from his knees, even before he spoke they knew from his manner that their worst fears were realized.
Philpot was dead.