“We won’t,” they shouted back, and Babe, reassured that no one would begin until she did, hurried after the rest up the sunny slope to the bath-houses. There was a breeze up there and down on the sand, that wasn’t blowing in the grove; and the water was cool, though not cool enough to be very invigorating. So nobody cared to stay in long,—at least nobody but Betty, who found that she could practice swimming almost as well here as in the still pool at the Casino.
“I’ve almost got it,” she explained to Dr. Eaton, who was an expert swimmer and had been trying to show her the stroke. “I can stay up as long as I like, but I stay in one place. I can’t go ahead any.”
“You’ll soon get that,” said Dr. Eaton, swimming off into deep water. “It’s too shallow where you are,” he called as he swam. “Try it out a little further.”
And Betty, being perfectly fearless, tried, with such success that she did not notice for some time that Mr. Wales, Ethel, and the girls had all gone in, and that the beach was for the moment clear of other bathers except Dr. Eaton, who had waded to shore very much further down and stood there examining a shell that he had picked up in the sand.
“I’m going to swim in from here just once more,” thought Betty, wading out to where the water was almost up to her arm-pits. “Madeline has been ready to catch me before, but she hasn’t had to. I’m not afraid!”
But somehow Madeline’s not being there, ready to help if she was needed, did make a difference. All of a sudden, while she was still in fairly deep water, Betty realized that she was alone and afraid. She lost the stroke and went under. Struggling to get her footing she was knocked flat again by an unusually big wave. The water surged and gurgled over her, she tried again to get up, and again fell back, faint and almost exhausted. But she would not give up! To die like this in five feet of water! She tried to cry out, but the waves drowned her voice. And then she stopped trying to get her footing. She was too tired to struggle any longer or to notice when something splashed along beside her. She thought it was only another big dark wave coming at her until a strong arm pulled her up into the air and sunshine, and a laughing voice asked her if she was all right now.
“I guess so,” gasped Betty, coughing and trying to wipe her eyes on the dripping sleeve of her bathing-suit.
“Can you walk in to shore, or shall I carry you?” inquired the voice anxiously, and for the first time Betty perceived that it was Dr. Eaton who had come to her rescue.
“Oh, I can walk all right. I’m only—out of breath,” said Betty, waving her hand reassuringly to a confused group of people, headed by Miss Hale, who were running down the beach toward her.