s happened?'

'He's at--he's going to the doctor's dead!' she gasped, then fell
breathless to the floor. Without a word Mrs. John snatched up a shawl,
and with white, set face, and lips moving in agonised prayer, she flew
along the road to the doctor's. She was shown into the room where the
doctor was hard at work; but Teddy lay like a waxen image, with the
sweetest smile on his lips, his fair curls clustering round his brow, and
only an ugly bump amongst the curls told the reason of his sinking under
the water again so suddenly.

In breathless silence the mother stood and watched. 'Don't give him up,
doctor!' she cried, as at last the doctor straightened himself and
paused, looking at the mother sorrowfully. He shook his head, but set to
work again, trying artificial respiration, and leaving no effort untried
to bring back the life that had apparently departed.

And then there came the moment when his efforts met with success, for
placing his hand against the little heart he felt a feeble throb. He
redoubled his efforts; the breath began to appear, a faint colour tinged
the blue lips, and at last the heavy eyelids raised, and a faint voice
said, 'Mother!'

Mrs. John sank on her knees. 'Thank God!' was all she said, and then
she fainted.

Much later in the evening Teddy was placed in his own little bed at home;
but though alive, his condition was most critical, and he lay in a heavy
stupor, from which it seemed impossible to rouse him. The doctor said he
must have struck his head against a stone when first he dived into the
river, and this had produced concussion of the brain. Nancy had been
taken home before he came, but the news was brought to her that he was
still alive, though in great danger, and that was a great comfort to her
poor little sorrowful soul.

For many days he lay between life and death. The inquiries after him
from every one of his schoolfellows, the Hall, and the different farms
and places round, told his mother how much her little son had been
beloved. And when on the following Sunday Mr. Upton gave out, in a
faltering voice, 'The prayers of this congregation are desired for
Edward Platt, who is very dangerously ill,' there was not a dry eye in
the church, and one or two audible sobs came from the boys' seats in
the gallery.

Mrs. John never left her boy's bedside--night and day she was by him, and
many wondered at her calm peacefulness. After the first great shock, she
had been able to han