ll. He filled a
tumbler with water and sat waiting, glass in hand. A moment passed, the
upheave of the shoulders became more pronounced, he rose swiftly and
walked to Cassandra's side.

She stepped away from him as he approached, waving him away, but he had
seen her face and kept steadily on.

"Drink this. Gulp it! It will carry it down."

The waving fingers spilled half of the liquid, he steadied it with his
own hand, while she gulped, and panted, and gulped again, and struggled
choking away. The drink had not dislodged the bone, it had served only
to hinder the sharpened breath.

Peignton hurried back to the table and seized a lump of bread. Grizel
and Teresa stared wide-eyed, and silent. Even in the moment which it
had taken to go and to come, Cassandra's face had taken a deeper hue;
the damp stood on her forehead, but she made a gallant effort at
composure, standing with her back resolutely turned to her companions,
so that they might be spared the sight of her struggles.

"I've brought you some bread. That moves it often when water fails.
Chew it for a moment, then gulp it whole. As big a piece as you can.
It's a wretched feeling, but it will pass. A big bite now!... Swallow
it whole."

She snatched it from him, crammed it in her mouth, struggled with a
force that was frightening to see, choked and retched, and staggered
against his arm. The bone had not moved.

From behind came a murmur of consternation. Grizel and Teresa swept
forward, calling out confused instructions.

"More water!"

"Kneel down; bend your head!... Massage your throat. Press downwards!
More bread; gulp _hard_!"

Cassandra faced them suddenly, her lips curved back from her teeth. She
struggled to speak, but the hoarse sounds had no coherence, her eyes
rolled from one face to the other, and on each as she looked there fell
the dawning of mortal fear. They had read the terror in Cassandra's
eyes, the next moment they saw it afresh in the sudden violent breakdown
of her composure. She no longer avoided them, but came nearer,
stretching out her hands in appeal. Her face was red and mottled, and
strangely, horribly changed.

Grizel was white as paper, but she kept her composure better than the
girl by her side, and spoke in calm, level tones.

"Cassandra, try, _try_ to be quiet! You make things worse by rushing
about. We _will_ help you. It will be all right. Try pushing
something down... Here's the handle of m