She durst look again, and saw that he had scrambled up to the boys’ perch, and had lifted Adrian up, but there was white spray dashing round now. She could not see the boat.
“They have to keep to the other side,” explained the woman. “God keep them! It will be a near shave. The gentleman is taking off his coat!”
Again there was a leap of foam—over! over! Then all was blotted out, but the woman exclaimed—
“There they are!”
“Oh! where?”
“One swimming! He is floating the other.”
Anna could see no longer. She dashed aside the telescope, then begged to be told, then looked again. No prayer would come but “Save him! save him!”
There was a call quite close.
“Mr. Norris, sir, put off your boat! Master Fergus—Oh! is he off?” and, drenched and breathless, Davy sank down on the ground at their feet, quite spent, unable at first to get out a word after those panting ones; but in a minute he spoke in answer to the agonized “Which? Who?”
“Master Fergus is swimming. The young sir couldn’t.”