“Not till you have had some breakfast,” said Cosy, with brisk decision. “The first principle of nursing is to take care of yourself.”
Godfrey was not capable just then of going back to first principles; but to be taken care of by Constancy was something new, and his spirit revived as she poured out coffee for him, and cut bread, and insisted on his eating his breakfast. Presently the others came down, and the vicar, who had been out, came back, and the story of the accident was pieced together.
Florella had to tell how Guy had gone to fetch Jem Outhwaite back to his mother.
“So good-natured of him,” said Mrs Palmer.
Godfrey had heard Rawdie howl before anything had happened, and Constancy, being out in the wood, had heard his shout for help when he came down to the river.
“Old Cowperthwaite’s in a fright,” said the vicar. “He confesses that he had been used to keep ‘t’ owd brig’ repaired for his customers; but that since his notice, he’d let it alone. But I don’t see now why it smashed so completely.”
“Nor I,” said Godfrey. “I looked, and saw two or three figures—I couldn’t count in the mist—struggling. Of course it was Guy dragging Jem over. But I thought I saw three.”
“Jem is wandering, and off his head,” said the vicar. “He says ‘t’ owd Guy’ tried to throw him in.”
Godfrey looked very much startled; his colour changed, but he did not speak; and soon the question rose as to what next.
He must telegraph at once to Ingleby, and also he said, faltering, “If—if Guy—he would want Cuthbert Staunton.”