ankle-deep water and slumped down with a splash and with another guarded cry for help, which seemed intended for his ears alone and not to attract the attention of the inhabitants of other cottages, none of which were very near. And there she lay, panting and gasping and keeping her head carefully above water; but otherwise giving a very fair imitation of an exhausted swimmer.
But Dick's eyes were fixed upon the flashing water beyond, and suddenly it seemed to him that he caught a glimpse of something other than foam among the breakers, and he made a frantic dash out through the surf toward the spot. As he passed Calista she called vehemently but not too loudly: "Help me, Mr. Harris, quick! Help me! I'm drowning!"
But Dick was headed toward the breakers beyond, pounding through the water in mad haste and leaving the maiden to drown in four inches of water, if she could. He had not even turned his head to see what had become of Kat.
The water was nearly to his shoulders when he reached the point for which he was aiming, and he stood for an instant, gazing about and down into the depths in a panic of doubt and fear. And then suddenly he splashed in and dived forward and rose out of the water clutching a limp little form clad only in a tiny thin undergarment, and with dark hair and waxen face. Clasping the child to his
