I made a powerful but unavailing effort to reply, when seeing my lips move, but without any sound issuing from them, she suddenly lost her self-control, and shrieking, “He is dying, Bob; dying, I tell you. Oh! what can we do to save him?” burst into an overwhelming passion of tears and clasping me convulsively to her bosom, she sobbed forth wild prayers for mercy, mingled with the tenderest and most endearing epithets that ever sprang from the heart of a passionately loving woman to her lips.
Surprised beyond all power of expression, and almost overwhelmed with delight at this utterly unexpected betrayal of her feeling for me, I could not suffer her to continue; so having by this time somewhat recovered my breath, I gasped out, “I am not hurt, Ella; indeed I am not; I was only overcome for the moment with exhaustion; pray calm yourself.”
“Not hurt!” she exclaimed eagerly; “not injured at all? Thank God, oh, thank God for that! But—was it kind, sir—was it like a gentleman, to permit me to be surprised into such expressions as those which have just escaped my lips? How can I ever hold up my head again in your presence, or look you in the face?”
“Hush, Ella, darling,” I whispered. “Do not distress yourself, I entreat you. I have much to say to you, and what has just passed has but precipitated matters a little. Retire below for a short time, and calm your agitated feelings; and this evening I will ask you to favour me with a few minutes of your society on shore, when I will enter into such explanations as I trust will prove entirely satisfactory, and have the effect of completely healing your wounded sensibility.
“Why,” continued I cheerily, “that is well; the roses are already returning to your cheeks, and by the time that I have been down once or twice more, and have secured another—”
“Merciful Heaven!” she exclaimed, in horrified accents, “do I hear aright? Is it possible you can be mad enough to contemplate going into the water again, after having so narrowly escaped from such a horrible death? You must not, Harry and you will not, if you entertain the slightest feeling of—of—friendship for me. Indeed, I could not bear it; another shock, such as I have just received, would kill me. Pray have some little compassion upon me.”
“Enough, Ella, and more than enough, I answered, deeply moved. Henceforward your wishes are law to me and, since you object to my going overboard again, I promise you faithfully that I will not do so. Now go below, dear, and lie down for a short time, whilst Bob and I take the cutter back to her old moorings.”
As soon as she was out of sight, Bob, who had stood patiently on one side whilst the above dénouement was taking place, approached, and, extending his hand, exclaimed:
“Now that the little beauty has done with ye, lad, give an old friend a shake of your flipper. I’m right down glad to see ye well and hearty, my dear boy,” he continued, with strong emotion.
“We both saw that doubly and everlastingly damned brute range up and take a berth close above ye; and, to own the plain, honest truth, I put ye down as good as done for. There warn’t no time to do anything by way of warning ye, or lending ye a hand anyways; for, afore I could collect my scattered wits, we saw ye let go the sinker, and next minute the water alongside was like a biling pot; and then we seed the blood, and damn me if I didn’t turn that sick and queer I couldn’t see a thing, just for a moment; and when I hauled ye aboard, I couldn’t for the life of me tell whether you was dead or alive. Now let’s get up them few h’isters that was like to have cost us all so dear, and get away from the spot as soon as we can.”