By the strange ministration of Providence, in reaching out for the lilies, he had fallen among them, and the thick network of stems had borne him up, despite the underground springs which would have carried him down had he not fallen in just the spot where fate had placed him. He had not lost consciousness, but was struggling with might and main to keep his head above water. A cry broke from Jess’ lips, and her grasp tightened on his hand. “Courage!” cried the girl. “I will save you! Keep still and let me float you along. I--I am an expert swimmer.” “No, no! Save yourself!” he cried, white to the lips. “I would only hamper you. I have nothing left in life worth the effort of living for. To you life is sweet; life is everything. Save yourself, girl--never mind me.” If the girl heard, she did not heed his words, but grasping him the more firmly with one hand, with the other she struck out into the stream again, dragging him with her by main force. He was sorry that she had undertaken such an herculean task--this slender child--yet he dared not struggle to free himself from her grasp, knowing that it would not only retard her progress, but make it doubly hard for her. With a courage that was almost superhuman, Jess struck out, dragging her living burden after her. And with the strength of an Amazon, strength which had been developed by her out-of-door life and daring exploits, the girl passed safely over the mouth of the underground current, which yawned wide to swallow her, and struck out valiantly for the shore. When she was within a rod or so of the bank, her splendid strength and heroic courage seemed suddenly to fail her, and when within reach of safety by but a few more strokes, she suddenly sank back. It was at this critical moment that he whom she had thus far brought from a watery grave came to the rescue. The water was up as far as his neck, but he knew that the danger was past. Catching the lithe form in his arms as she sank backward in the water, he succeeded in bringing her quickly to the shore. When Jess returned to consciousness, she found herself back in the old Caldwell farmhouse, in her own bed-chamber, with Lucy bending over her. “What is the matter? What has happened?” she exclaimed, with wide-open eyes staring into Lucy’s white face. But before a reply could be given, she cried out, shrilly: “Oh, I remember it all--the water lilies, and Mr. Moore going for them because I dared him to--the accident, and how I tried to save him, for he could not swim--and how everything grew black around me when within but a few yards of the bank!” “Mr. Moore turned the tables then, and saved you,” said Lucy. “You had brought him to wading depths; the rest was easy. It gave us all a terrible scare when he brought you in, dripping wet and white in the face as one drowned! And then he explained, in a word, almost, how it had all come about.”