ttle limbs. His arms were tossing wildly above
the water, but the head with its floating golden curls dipped under
from time to time, and the little distorted mouth opened for an
agonized breath and scream, only to be stopped by the in-rushing water.
The boat rocking violently close by explained with sufficient clearness
how the accident had happened. The boy had clambered on to the edge of
the boat to rock himself, had overbalanced and fallen into the water,
and in his struggles had already drifted some paces from the shore.
Fido stood barking and gasping on the step and dipping his paws into
the water only to draw them out again.

Malvine stretched out her arms to the child, but her feet refused their
office, she stood rooted to the spot, unable to do anything but utter
terrible inarticulate screams. Only a few seconds elapsed--just long
enough to realize what had happened--when Wilhelm sprang with lightning
rapidity on to his chair, and from thence, with one bound, over the
parapet into the water. He disappeared below the surface, but rose
again at once just beside the child, who clung to him with all his
remaining strength. How he managed it he did not know, but, although he
could not swim, he managed to push the boy in front of him toward the
terrace, crying anxiously, "Catch hold of him! Catch hold of him!" Life
returned to Malvine's limbs, she leaned over the parapet and stretched
out her arms. Wilhelm made a supreme effort and lifted the boy so far
out of the water that she could grasp him, put her arms round him, and
drag him up, and with him apparently Wilhelm, for his head and
shoulders rose for a moment above the water. With a jerk she dragged
the fainting boy over the parapet and held him in her arms, while she
continued to scream for help. People came running from the shore the
Carlstrasse, the Fahrhaus, and in an instant the terrace was crowded.
They relieved the still half-demented mother of the dripping child to
carry him across to the house. She was pushing her way through the
closely packed groups and tottering after them when a cry reached her.
"There is another one in the water!" Only then did she remember
Wilhelm. Terrified to death, she turned and flew back to the edge of
the terrace. A crowd stood there gesticulating wildly, all talking at
once, and obstructing the view. A gap opened when two or three men with
more presence of mind than the rest rushed down to the landing, jumped
into the boat, u