was near the beam.
In an overarm reach I scraped it with my finger-tips. Swinging
round, I swam madly back. Extending myself to the utmost, I felt as
if every stroke was swifter than its predecessor. Now my breath grew
shorter and my limbs began to stiffen; but all this proved a source
of speed, for, in a spirit of defiance of nature, I whipped arms
and legs into even faster movement; it was my brain against my body.
Then there came into view the rope, which I touched with a reach.
Making no attempt to grasp it, for I seemed to be travelling too
rapidly, I saw the atmosphere darken with the shadow of Cully
passing over my head, and crashed head-first into the end of the
baths. Not stunned, for the cold water refreshed me, I turned
immediately to see if I had really got home before Lancelot. He was
still in the water, three yards from the rope.

Sec.4

That moment, while many hands helped me out of the water; while the
building echoed with cheers and whistles; while White, too happy to
speak, beamed upon the world; while fists hammered me on the back;
while Cully, splendidly swimming, made the victory sure; I
experienced such a happiness as would not be outweighed by years of
subsequent misery. Though my limbs were so stiff that it was pain to
move them, they glowed with diffused happiness; though my heart was
fluttering at an alarming pace, it beat also with the electric
pulsations of joy: though my breath was too disturbed for speech,
yet my mind framed the words: "I've done it, I've done it"; though
my head ached with the blow it had received, it was also bursting
with a delight too great to hold. I had never done anything for the
house before, and now I had won for its shelf the Swimming Cup.

They helped me to my cabin, and, as I sat there, I composed the tale
of success that I would send to my mother. Then I stood up to dress,
and, in my excitement, put on my shirt before my vest. There was a
confusion of cheers within and without the building; and Upton,
Fillet, and Jerry Brisket, the judges, were to be seen in animated
debate, while many others stood round and listened. Dazed, faint,
and unconscious of the passage of momentous events, I took no notice
of them, but drank deeply of victory. It exhilarated me to
reconstruct the whole story, beginning with my early stage-fright
and ending with the triumphant climax, when I crashed into the end
of the baths.

I was indulging the glorious retrospect when there