The Argosy — page 297: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

276 My Saturdays. better if we set to work to look for her. Here are the boatmen and Mr. Rintoul; some might go up the river and some down.” “ Right,” said Archie, pulling off his coat, and throwing it into | a light boat. ‘* Stop, sir,” said one of the boatmen ; ‘‘ what’s that coming down? ” Something floating in the sunny upper reaches of the river caught our eyes with a sudden gleam of light brown. “The canoe!” I exclaimed. ‘‘ But no; it is not large enough.” “Ts it she? Tell me, is it Imogen?” cried Lady Anderton, clutching my arm. ‘“‘T don’t see her yet,” I said, ‘‘the sun is in my eyes.” The spot came on, now dark in a bright stretch of water, now bright in a shadow, widening, narrowing, changing shape. Impossible to make out what it was. ow slowly it came, lingering down the stream ! why did she not make haste? It is nearer now; it certainly is the colour of the canoe; but ought we not to see the flash of the merry paddle? Archie leaped into the boat, and pushed off: the boatmen followed him in theirs without a word. ‘The oars bent, as the boats leaped under the strong strokes; and yet those minutes seemed endless until they reached the floating mass. We watched them draw up to it, and saw the men stoop overand handleit. Then the confused group separated: Archie pulled up stream harder than ever, and the men turned, and came back to us. One of them rowed, the other held what they drew after them. We could see it now ; they had turned it right side up ; 1t was Archie’s canoe! ‘‘ What is it? Oh, what is it?” Lady Anderton screamed. Nobody answered her. We all saw; and as the men tied the ill- fated boat in its place again, they pulled out from the bottom, where it lay jammed and soaked, a silk parasol. Lady Anderton screamed again, and fainted. We took her into the house, with the help of two elderly gentlemen and the maids, and there Lady Jacobs and I brought her round. ‘Then of course she ivegan to sob, so I left her to her friend, and came out again to the Janding-place. There I found Rhoda sitting, pale, and full of anxious pity—Lucilla cowering close to her, conscience-stricken and crushed, yet not able to go—and kind Mr. Merton pacing the gravel walk with the doctor whom he had thoughtfully fetched. ‘As your maid, Mrs Singleton, told me that Lady Anderton had recovered consciousness, I thought that I had better not go upstairs unless you needed me,” said the doctor, meeting me as I approached. ‘Thank you,” I said heavily ; “‘ Lady Jacobs is with her, and there seems nothing the matter but the agitation. Where are the boat- men?” ‘Gone after Mr. Rintoul,” answered Mr. Merton. ‘“ There is, of course, no use in looking down stream now,’ We all sat there, waiting, waiting, watching, starting at every speck in the distance on the stream, constantly deceived by heats in which