m to
where the professor's head bobbed on the waters.

"Keep cool," I said. A silly remark in the circumstances.

He was swimming energetically but unskillfully. In his shore clothes
it would have taken him at least a week to struggle to land.

I knew all about saving people from drowning. We used to practice it
with a dummy in the swimming bath at school. I attacked him from the
rear and got a good grip of him by the shoulders. I then swam on my
back in the direction of land, and beached him at the feet of an
admiring crowd. I had thought of putting him under once or twice just
to show him he was being rescued, but decided against such a course as
needlessly realistic. As it was, I fancy he had swallowed two or three
hearty draughts of sea water.

The crowd was enthusiastic.

"Brave young feller," said somebody.

I blushed. This was fame.

"Jumped in, he did, sure enough, an' saved the gentleman!"

"Be the old soul drownded?"

"That girt fule, 'Arry 'Awk!"

I was sorry for Mr. Hawk. Popular opinion, in which the professor
wrathfully joined, was against him. I could not help thinking that my
fellow-conspirator did well to keep out of it all. He was now sitting
in the boat, which he had restored to its normal position, baling
pensively with an old tin can. To satire from the shore he paid no
attention.

The professor stood up and stretched out his hand to me.

I grasped it.

"Mr. Garnet," he said, for all the world as if he had been the father
of the heroine of "Hilda's Hero," "we parted recently in anger. Let me
thank you for your gallant conduct, and hope that bygones will be
bygones."

[Illustration: "Mr. Garnet," he said, "we parted recently in anger. I
hope that bygones will be bygones."]

Like Mr. Samuel Weller, I liked his conversation much. It was "werry
pretty."

I came out strong. I continued to hold his hand. The crowd raised a
sympathetic cheer.

I said:

"Professor, the fault was mine. Show that you have forgiven me by
coming up to the farm and putting on something dry."

"An excellent idea, me boy. I _am_ a little wet."

We walked briskly up the hill to the farm. Ukridge met us at the gate.

He diagnosed the situation rapidly.

"You're all wet," he said.

I admitted it.

"Professor Derrick has had an unfortunate boating accident," I
explained.

"And Mr. Garnet heroically dived in, in all his clothes, and saved me
life," broke in the professor. "A hero, sir. _A-choo!_"