essen the force of her stroke; but breathless and spent as she was, she
could not pause while from behind arose that dread, continued cry.
Ralph had told her to strike out, that there was no danger if only she
kept clear.

"All right, Darsie--all right! Keep calm--keep calm! I'm coming! I've
got you! Leave yourself to me."

It was Dan's voice speaking in her ear, clear and distinct in the midst
of the clamour; she felt herself seized in scientific fashion--in the
way at which she herself had played at rescuing her companions from
imaginary death--and, relinquishing all effort, was towed numbly to the
shore.

It seemed as if hundreds of people were waiting to rescue her; hundreds
of arms stretched out in welcome; hundreds of eyes grew suddenly moist
with tears. She was tired, and wet, and dazed, but she could stand on
her own feet, had no need of helping arms. Dan took her hand in his and
ran swiftly across the grass to the nearest tent, where already
preparations were in train for the restoration of the unfortunates.

Darsie was the first of the crew to reach this shelter, and Mrs
Percival and the girls awaited her tearfully on the threshold. She
awoke to fuller consciousness at sight of their faces, smiled in
reassurement, and murmured disjointed phrases.

"Quite all right--only wet! Ralph saved me! A second time! So calm
and brave!"

"Yes, dear child; yes! Take off that wet hat!" replied Mrs Percival
urgently, the girl's praise of her son adding to her tender solicitude,
and she hovered around with tender touches, the while from around rose a
ceaseless string of suggestions.

"Brandy! Hot tea!" "She ought to change at once!" "My house is just
at hand--do come to my house!" "My motor is waiting outside! Let me
drive you home!"

So on, and so on, innate kindliness of heart bubbling to the surface as
it invariably does in moments of disaster. As each unfortunate entered
the tent the same programme was enacted, the same kind offices
volunteered. "My house is close at hand--do come to my house!"

"My motor is waiting--do let me drive you back!" Each victim of the
immersion wore at first the same dazed, helpless expression, but the
presence of their companions, the kindly voices speaking in their ear,
the hot, reviving draughts soon brought about a change of mood, so that
they began to smile, to exchange remarks, to congratulate themselves on
escape. Darsie, with characteristic elasticity, was