ut into
the strongest race, by which the unconscious man, the hatch, and
himself were carried down the stream. As soon as Venn found his feet
dragging over the pebbles of the shallower part below he secured his
footing and waded towards the brink. There, where the water stood at
about the height of his waist, he flung away the hatch, and attempted
to drag forth the man. This was a matter of great difficulty, and he
found as the reason that the legs of the unfortunate stranger were
tightly embraced by the arms of another man, who had hitherto been
entirely beneath the surface.

At this moment his heart bounded to hear footsteps running towards
him, and two men, roused by Thomasin, appeared at the brink above.
They ran to where Venn was, and helped him in lifting out the
apparently drowned persons, separating them, and laying them out upon
the grass. Venn turned the light upon their faces. The one who had
been uppermost was Yeobright; he who had been completely submerged was
Wildeve.

"Now we must search the hole again," said Venn. "A woman is in there
somewhere. Get a pole."

One of the men went to the foot-bridge and tore off the handrail. The
reddleman and the two others then entered the water together from
below as before, and with their united force probed the pool forwards
to where it sloped down to its central depth. Venn was not mistaken
in supposing that any person who had sunk for the last time would
be washed down to this point, for when they had examined to about
half-way across something impeded their thrust.

"Pull it forward," said Venn, and they raked it in with the pole till
it was close to their feet.

Venn vanished under the stream, and came up with an armful of wet
drapery enclosing a woman's cold form, which was all that remained of
the desperate Eustacia.

When they reached the bank there stood Thomasin, in a stress of grief,
bending over the two unconscious ones who already lay there. The
horse and cart were brought to the nearest point in the road, and it
was the work of a few minutes only to place the three in the vehicle.
Venn led on the horse, supporting Thomasin upon his arm, and the two
men followed, till they reached the inn.

The woman who had been shaken out of her sleep by Thomasin had hastily
dressed herself and lighted a fire, the other servant being left to
snore on in peace at the back of the house. The insensible forms of
Eustacia, Clym, and Wildeve were then brought in and