With a cry
of horror he struck out, in an attempt to rescue her.
In those few awful seconds he prayed that the punishment of their
light-hearted folly might not fall on the woman, but on him; that his
life might be lost, sooner than her good name.
Luckily, he was an expert swimmer; and aided by the stream, which was as
swift as a mill-race, he soon managed to get within reach of Lady
Merivale. With a great effort he grasped her firmly, and, turning slowly
and painfully, swung aslant the stream to the opposite bank.
Her face was white, as if life were already extinct. Her eyes were
closed.
"Heaven grant me her life!" he groaned, as, panting and nearly
exhausted, he dragged himself and his precious burden up on the bank.
He laid her down and felt for some signs of life; to his intense
gratitude, she still breathed; and with a silent prayer of thankfulness,
he turned to look for assistance.
At a little distance a light burned in a window. Without pausing an
instant, he took the still form in his arms and hastened towards it.
All unconscious of the struggle for life going on so close to her, Lucy
Ashford sat working busily, her pretty face lifted to the clock every
minute or so, as she waited for her husband to return.
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