, that it
was somewhere out here he and Fred Forrester had lowered down a weight
at the end of a piece of twine, to find in one spot it was twenty feet,
in another twenty-five; but all over this eastern end there was a great
depth of water.

It was impossible after that to help thinking about people losing their
lives. A boy had once been drowned out there through trying to cross
the ice before it was sufficiently strong, and--

A curious hysterical sensation attacked Scarlett Markham just then, and
for a few moments, unnerved by the excitement of the evening, he began
to strike out more quickly, under the mistaken notion that he would
reach the opposite side much sooner; but the fatigue of the effort
warned him that he was doing wrong, and growing calmer, he turned over
on his back to float for a few minutes, while he diverted his thoughts
from his position by forcing himself to think about his pursuers, whom
he could hear plainly enough calling and answering each other.

Then once more the thought forced itself upon him that it was terribly
deep down below, that he was growing utterly exhausted, and that if he
sank and was drowned, no one had seen him enter the water, and his
father--his mother--

"Oh, am I such a coward as this!" he muttered angrily. "After being in
battle and skirmish, and hearing the cannons roar, I will swim across."

He turned, and will did what will often does, gives to those who are
determined powers that others do not seem to possess; and so it came
that the rest of the task grew comparatively easy, the bank which in the
gloom had seemed to be so distant suddenly loomed over him, with the
pendent branches of the birches within easy reach, and a few moments
later he was ashore, had climbed the bank, paused to look back, and then
started off at an easy run, with the load of water he carried becoming
lighter at every step.

Later on, mounted men came round both ends of the lake, and began to
search on the further side, but by this time the fugitive was well on
toward where he had left his horse and arms, and his dangers lay in
front, and not behind.

Long before all this, Lady Markham had arrived at the Manor, with Lil
weeping silently at her side. There had been a brief and formal
leave-taking, a quick embrace from his mother, and Fred rode back with
his detachment, to reach the Hall, take possession of the quarters
assigned to him, and after thinking deeply of the events of the night