Meantime, Nell’s complete disappearance, though apparently so mysterious, was in reality no mystery at all. Few things are, when once unravelled. Her precipitate fall into the water had brought her head downwards against the black side of an empty barge. The blow stunned her, and she was immediately sucked under, and borne by the running current some way lower down, where her body rose under the bows of a rowing boat, whose owners were just preparing to shelve her on the mud-bank which fringes either side the Thames. They were watermen of the lowest class, but honest and kindly-hearted. ‘’Ullo, Jim,’ cried one of them, as Nell’s body rose alongside, ‘what’s that? By Gawd, if it isn’t a woman’s ’and. Here, give us an ’and, and lift ’er over. Quick, now, will yer?’ ‘It’s a corpus,’ said Jim, shrinking back, as most people do from contact with the dead. ‘Let it be, Garge. Don’t bring it over here. It’s no concarn of ourn, and the perlice will find it soon enough. Row on, man, do, and leave it be’ind. The look of it’s quite enough for me.’ ‘You’re a nice ’un,’ retorted Garge, as he leant over the boat’s side and seized hold of Nell Llewellyn. ‘What d’ye mean? Would yer leave a poor gal to drown, when maybe she ain’t ’alf dead? Here, lend an ’and, will yer, or I’ll knock yer bloomin’ brains out with my oar.’ Thus admonished, Jim joined his forces to those of his comrade, and by their united efforts they hauled the body into the boat. As soon as Garge saw her lovely face, which looked, almost unearthly in its beauty, he became eager to take her home to his mother, to be succoured and taken care of. ‘Now, Garge, mark what I’m sayin’ of,’ argued Jim, ‘you ’ad better by ’alf take ’er to the station at once. ’Tain’t no business of yourn, and you’ll maybe get into trouble by taking it on yerself. She’s committed suicide, there’s where it is, and you should leave ’er to the perlice. I thought I ’eard a lot o’ shoutin’ from the bridge jest now, and it was after this ’ere, you may take yer oath of it. A bad lot all round, and will bring you into trouble. Now, be wise and jest drop ’er into the water agin. She’s as dead as a door-nail!’ ‘That’s yer opinion, is it?’ said Garge, contemptuously; ‘and ’ow long ’ave you sot up as a doctor, eh? Now, jest do as I tell yer, or I’ll know the reason why. Lift ’er up by the petticoats, and I’ll take ’er ’ead and shoulders. That’s it, and now for mother’s.’ ‘Mother’s’ was the cellar floor of one of those tenements which abound on the river’s side, and afford shelter for the ‘water-rats’ who make their living on its bosom and its shores. The two young men had not far to carry their burden, but Nell was heavy, and they stumbled over the threshold of the house and down the cellar steps, and were glad enough to lay her dripping body on the floor.