_jabble_ in the room beside them, and Annie heard it.
The water was yelping at the foot of the bed.

"The watter's i' the hoose!" cried she, in terror, and proceeded to
rise.

"Lie still, bairn," said Tibbie, authoritatively. "Gin the watter be i'
the hoose, there's no ootgang. It'll be doon afore the mornin'. Lie
still."

Annie lay down again, and Tibbie resumed:

"Gin we be i' the watter, the watter's i' the how o' his han'. Gin we
gang to the boddom, he has only to open's fingers, an' there we are,
lyin' i' the loof o' 's han', dry and warm. Lie still."

And Annie lay so still, that in a few minutes more she was asleep
again. Tibbie slept too.

But Annie woke from a terrible dream--that a dead man was pursuing her,
and had laid a cold hand upon her. The dream was gone, but the cold
hand remained.

"Tibbie!" she cried, "the watter 's i' the bed."

"What say ye, lassie?" returned Tibbie, waking up.

"The watter's i' the bed."

"Weel, lie still. We canna sweyp it oot."

The water was in the bed. And it was pitch dark. Annie, who lay at the
front, stretched her arm over the side. It sunk to the elbow. In a
moment more the bed beneath her was like a full sponge. She lay in
silent terror, longing for the dawn.

"I'm terrible cauld," said Tibbie.

Annie tried to answer her, but the words would not leave her throat.
The water rose. They were lying half-covered with it. Tibbie broke out
singing. Annie had never heard her sing, and it was not very musical.

"Saviour, through the desert lead us.
Without thee, we cannot go.

Are ye waukin', lassie?"

"Ay," answered Annie.

"I'm terrible cauld, an' the watter's up to my throat. I canna muv, I'm
sae cauld. I didna think watter had been sae cauld."

"I'll help ye to sit up a bit. Ye'll hae dreidfu' rheumatize efter
this, Tibbie," said Annie, as she got up on her knees, and proceeded to
lift Tibbie's head and shoulders, and draw her up in the bed.

But the task was beyond her strength. She could not move the helpless
weight, and, in her despair, she let Tibbie's head fall back with a
dull plash upon the bolster.

Seeing that all she could do was to sit and support her, she got out of
bed and waded across the floor to the fireside to find her clothes. But
they were gone. Chair and all had been floated away, and although she
groped till she found the floating chair, she could not find the
clothes. She returned to the bed, and getting behind Tibbie, li