She shrank together, and her eyes gleamed at him. "Murder me if you like." she said, slowly. "We must not do things by halves." he replied, sadly; "there is room for both of us in the sea, I cannot save you, child," and he spoke almost compassionately, dreamingly. "But we must dive below, both of us--and at once--and now," he shrieked, madly seizing her by both arms. But in an instant he drew back his right hand, the blood streamed from it--she had bitten him to the bone. "_Must_ I do what you will?" she cried, freeing herself from him with a sudden turn; "let us, see whether I am in your power." And then she sprang over the gunwale of the boat and disappeared for a moment beneath the waves. She soon rose again; her clothes dung tightly around her; the water had loosened her hair, which hung in heavy masses around her neck. She struck out boldly with her arms, and swam, without a sound, steadily from the boat towards the shore. Sudden terror seemed to have paralyzed Antonino. He stood bent forward in the boat, his eyes fixed staringly upon her, as if a miracle was being enacted before them. Then he shook himself, sprang to the oars, and rowed with all the strength he could command towards her, whilst the boarding of his boat grew ever redder from his free-streaming blood. In a moment he was by her side, rapidly as she swam. "For the sake of the ever blessed Virgin," he cried, "come into the boat! I have been a madman, God knows what took away my reason. It struck into my brain like lightning from heaven, and burnt in me, till I knew not what I did or said. I do not ask you to forgive me, only save your life, and come into the boat again." She swam on as if she heard not. "You can never reach the land, it is still two miglia off. Think of your mother: if anything happened to you, she would die of grief!"