Vavasor outran the major, and reached Saffy first, but to his anxious
questions--"Where is he? Where did you leave him? Where did you see him
last?" she answered only by shrieking with every particle of available
breath. When the major came up, he heard enough to know that he must use
his wits and lose no time in trying to draw information from a creature
whom terror had made for the moment insane. He kept close to the bank,
looking for some sign of the spot where he had fallen in.
He had indeed overrun the place, and was still intent on the bank when
he heard a cry behind him. It was the voice of Hester, screaming
"Across; Across!"
He looked across, and saw half-way over, slowly drifting towards the
mill-lade, a something dark, now appearing for a little above the water,
now sinking out of sight. The major's eye, experienced in every point of
contact between man and nature, saw at once it must be the body, dead or
alive--only he could hardly be dead yet--of poor Mark. He threw off his
coat, and plunged in, found the water deep enough for good swimming, and
made in the direction of the object he had seen. But it showed so little
and so seldom, that fearing to miss it, he changed his plan, and made
straight for the mouth of the mill-lade, anxious of all things to
prevent him from getting down to the water-wheel.
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