e the mill had stood were the only things which
rewarded their enterprise; for the police-boat had been swept down for
miles, and it was not till dark that the men returned by rail to report
that they could do nothing in the fierce, rushing waters till the flood
was at an end.

That evening, to Jerry's great disgust, a crowd of idlers gathered on
the opposite side of the road to stare at the tutor's house, where the
blinds were drawn down, as if they secured great satisfaction in gaping
and whispering one to the other.

"Oh!" he muttered, "if I could only have my way!"

Mr Shrubsole, the second doctor, undertook to stay at the house that
night, in case of any relapse on the part of Mark, and to the tutor's
great satisfaction, for he had fallen into a nervous state, wandering
about the place and giving the pupils a fresh theme of conversation to
occupy the dreary, slow-dragging time.

Jerry caught the inspector as he came out of Mr Draycott's study, and
signalled him into the pantry.

"Then you did nothing?" he said.

"Yes, we did," said the inspector, grimly; "we saved our lives, which
was about all we could do. I only went for the name of the thing, Mr
Brigley--thankye, I'll say port. Of course, I went--ah! very nice full
glass or wine. People's so ready to say, `Where are the police?' that,
if we hadn't gone, they'd ha' been ready to think the poor young gent
was hanging on by the branch of a tree and we wouldn't go and save him.
But I put it to you--well, thankye, Mr Brigley, I won't say no; didn't
know you kept such a port as that."

"It won't be long before the water goes down?"

"No. Not it. Goes down, you know, as quickly as it goes up; but don't
you expect too much, sir."

"You think you won't find him?"

"Yes; that's it," said the inspector. "Why, look at the way the water
was rushing along! Of course, he may be picked up right away down where
the tide rises--Limesmouth or Dunkney--or about there; but I say it's
very doubtful."

"Ah!" sighed Jerry.

"Poor young chap! The times I've stopped outside listening to him on
the flute, or blowing that cornet, or scraping away at the fiddle.
Wonderful power of music in those fingers of his and lips."

"And now all still, and stiff, and cold!" groaned Jerry.

"Hold up, man--hold up!" said the inspector, kindly. "Life is short,
you know; but we never expected this--did we?"

Jerry shook his head.

"And so the other young gent's getting better