d coat. Another moment, and he would have
jumped from the bank; but before he had jumped he heard the elder girl
groaning as if in desperate fear, and saw that mother and daughter were
grappled together, their figures swaying backwards and forwards in
convulsive struggle. He did not doubt that the mother was trying to
drown this child also. Another low wild groan from the girl, and Caius
flung himself upon them both. His strength released the girl, who drew
away a few paces; but the woman struggled terribly to get to her again.
Both the girl and little boy stood stupidly within reach.

"Run--run--to the road, and call for help!" gasped Caius to the
children, but they only stood still.

He was himself shouting with all his strength, and holding the desperate
woman upon the ground, where he had thrown her.

Every moment he was watching the dark water, where he thought he saw a
little heap of light clothes rise and sink again further off.

"Run with your brother out of the way, so that I can leave her," he
called to the girl. He tried with a frantic gesture to frighten them
into getting out of the mother's reach. He continued to shout for aid as
he held down the woman, who with the strength of insanity was struggling
to get hold of the children.

A man's voice gave answering shout. Caius saw someone climbing the
fence. He left the woman and jumped into the sea.

Down under the cold black water he groped about. He was not an expert
swimmer and diver. He had never been under water so long before, but so
strong had been his impulse to reach the child that he went a good way
on the bottom in the direction in which he had thought he saw the little
body floating. Then he knew that he came up empty-handed and was
swimming on the dark surface, hearing confused cries and imprecations
from the shore. He wanted to dive and seek again for the child below,
but he did not know how to do this without a place to leap from. He let
himself sink, but he was out of breath. He gasped and inhaled the water,
and then, for dear life's sake, he swam to keep his head above it.

The water had cooled his excitement; a feeling of utter helplessness and
misery came over him. So strong was his pity for the little sad-eyed
child that he was almost willing to die in seeking her; but all hope of
finding was forsaking him. He still swam in the direction in which he
thought the child drifted as she rose and sank. It did not occur to him
to be surprise