Clemence and her companion were much amused by the scene, though the lady did not fail to remark in how many spots the warning post, marked “Dangerous,” had been inserted, and to notice that the circles of spectators on the Serpentine were beginning to be rapidly thinned, while a very large majority of persons preferred terra firma to the ice. The wind had shifted to the west, the air had become sensibly milder, the icicles which had hung from the trees were dripping to the earth like tears, and the round, red sun, glowing like a fiery10 ball in the sky, was making his influence to be felt.
It was some time before Clemence discovered those for whom her eye was seeking amongst the crowds. She saw them at last on the frozen Serpentine, walking together, their young countenances12 rosy13 with the cold. Vincent was laughing and talking to his sister, imitating the awkward movements of some skater whom he had seen making his deb?t on the ice, when he caught the eye of his step-mother, towards whom he happened at the time to be approaching.
“I say, Loo, there’s that woman and her tame bear come to hunt after us, as if we could not be safe unless tied to her apron-strings! I vote we turn round sharp and cut them!”
“I think that I see some of my friends at the other side of the Serpentine,” said Louisa; “I wish that we could get across to them,—but only—did you not fancy that the ice just now gave a crack!” and she grasped the boy’s arm in a little alarm.
“Oh, nonsense!” exclaimed Vincent; “the ice is as hard as a rock!”
A loud, clear halloo came ringing to them across the ice.
“I say, I won’t stand that; I am not accustomed to be hallooed to, as if I were a cab-driver on a stand—”
“Or a dog,” suggested Louisa: “just look how the vulgar old man is making signs to us to come off the ice.”
“He may shout himself hoarse14, and flourish away till his arms ache,” said Vincent, “we’ll stop here as long as we choose. Just come along this way, Louisa.”
Again, as the young Effinghams turned their steps towards the further shore of the Serpentine, again came that loud, warning halloo. It was not unheard, but it was unheeded. Then Louisa stopped short, trembling violently—there was a sudden crash—shriek—splash—and on the spot where Clemence had a moment before beheld15 the two well-known forms on the surface, with horror she could distinguish nothing but a black pool of water, with an ill-defined margin16 of broken, jagged ice around it!
Her cry of anguish17 mingled18 with the short, stifled19 scream of the miserable20 Louisa. Captain Thistlewood uttered no exclamation21; before his niece could realize what was passing beside her, he had flung his great-coat at her feet, and, with the instinct of generous humanity, was darting22 across the ice to the place where the Effinghams had disappeared! He reached it while the air-bubbles were yet floating on the surface of the fatal pool, and plunged23 in without an instant’s hesitation24. Clemence’s cries for help were bringing speedy assistance, but they seemed to be unconsciously uttered. Almost petrified25 with terror, she stood on the shore, watching with straining eyes and blanched26 cheek that dark spot fraught27 with such fearful interest.
There is a hand grasping the ice!—yes!—no! the brittle28 substance has broken under the drowning grasp—yet there it is again! and now—oh, thank Heaven! a dripping head emerges!—then another!—a boy, supported by a strong arm, his hair hanging in wet strands29 over his face, is clinging, scrambling30, on to the surface of the ice! Clemence stretches out her arms, and, impelled31 by an irresistible32 impulse, springs forward several paces on the frozen Serpentine, but is stayed by the firm grasp of one of the spectators.
“He has dived again!—fine fellow! he is saving the lady!” cried many voices. “Where are the officers of the Humane33 Society? Ah, here they come! here they come! God speed them!” and, with a rumbling34, rushing sound, the machine on skates, invented by ingenious humanity to rescue the drowning from death, is pushed rapidly on to the spot, and plunged into the dark hole on whose brink35, in an agony of apprehension36, now stands the shivering, gasping37, dripping Vincent.
Moments appear hours to Clemence—all power of uttering a sound is gone—the voices around her seem rather as if heard in the confusion of a horrible dream, than as if actually striking upon her waking sense. Oh, that it were but a dream!
“They can’t find ’em!—they must have floated under the ice,—got entangled38 in the weeds!—’twill be too late—too late to save them!” Then suddenly a loud, glad cheer burst from the excited spectators, as a senseless form, with its wet garments clinging closely around it, and long, clotted39 tresses streaming unconfined by the crushed and dripping bonnet40, was lifted triumphantly41 out of the water.
“She’s saved! she’s saved!” shouted a hundred voices; “but the brave fellow!—the gallant42 old man!—they’ll never recover him alive!”
Clemence remained as if rooted to the spot, her lips parted, her hands clasped, her soul gushing43 forth44 in one inarticulate prayer. Louisa was carried to the society’s receiving-house, a large crowd accompanying her to the door; but Clemence was not in the crowd. Vincent, likewise, would not stir from the spot while the officers were redoubling their efforts to find the body of the captain. Wringing45 his hands, the boy, with passionate46 entreaties47, promises, even tears, sought to stimulate48 the exertions49 of any one and every one who could lend a hand to rescue his brave preserver! After a space—a space, alas50! how fearfully long—the ice having been broken in various directions, and the drag let down again and again, a heavy body was raised to the surface. There was not the faintest sign of life in it, though the cold hand yet firmly grasped a fragment of a black lace veil, such as Louisa had worn on that fatal morning! Clemence read no hope on the faces of the experienced men who lifted the body on the ice; but in that terrible moment she neither trembled nor wept. Grasping eagerly at the last chance of restoring life to the inanimate frame, struggling to keep down the feeling of despair which was wrestling in her heart, she hastened with the bearers of the body to the receiving-house, which was not far distant. Clemence was met on the way by her own servant, the one who had followed Vincent and his sister to the park.
“Miss Louisa has been brought back to life, ma’am,” said the man eagerly; but even such good tidings fell dulled on the ear of Clemence Effingham,—it seemed as if at that moment she could think of no one but her uncle.
“Take her and your young master home at once,” was all that she could say, as she hurried on, absorbed in anxiety so agonizing51 that the peril52 of Louisa was half forgotten.
The servant touched his hat, and proceeded to obey; but nothing would induce Vincent to return to his home while the fate of his preserver hung in the balance. Louisa was conveyed to Belgrave Square in a cab; but wet and half frozen as he was, the boy clung to the side of his step-mother.
“They will restore him!—the warmth will restore him!—he will—oh! he must!—he shall recover!” cried Vincent in an agony of grief.
“Every means will be tried,” said Clemence faintly; “we, Vincent,—we can do nothing now but pray!”
Every means was indeed tried, every resource of science was exhausted53, but the vital spark had fled, and all was in vain! The pulse had entirely54 ceased to beat,—not the faintest breath stirred the lungs—the brave heart was stilled for ever! The death of the gallant old sailor had been a fitting close for a life of active benevolence55. Death had come to him suddenly, but it had found him not unprepared; it had found him in the path of duty; it had found him pressing onward56 toward heaven, with his pilgrim staff in his hand—faith, hope, and charity in his heart. He was taken away before the infirmities of age had dulled his senses, bowed his frame, or chilled the warm affections of his heart; and he was taken away in the very act of risking his life to save that of a fellow-creature! Is there nothing enviable in such a departure?
Dark, heavy clouds had blotted57 out the sun from the sky, when Clemence returned with Vincent to her home, a lifeless corpse58 in the vehicle beside her. Her own calmness appeared strange to herself, but it was the stunning59 effect of a terrible shock, which for a while had almost paralyzed feeling. She was met in the hall by Arabella, who looked pale, and whose manner betrayed considerable excitement.
“Louisa is very ill,—goes from one faint into another,—Aunt Selina has sent for Dr. Howard!”
But not one word of sympathy to the bereaved60 Clemence—not one word of regret for the brave old man! Arabella averted61 her eyes almost with a shudder62 as the body was borne into the house. Clemence and Vincent saw it reverently63 placed on the bed in the room which the captain had occupied on the preceding night, and then, when the servants had quitted the apartment, both sank on their knees beside it and wept.
Clemence’s burst of sorrow was violent, but brief; she folded her step-son in her arms, drew him close and closer to her heart, and it was like balm to her bleeding spirit to feel the boy’s tears on her neck.
“Oh!” cried Vincent passionately64, “if I had not treated him so ill!—if I had not laughed at him, mocked him, insulted him! And he will never know how sorry I am! But he did not die saving me! no, no,—his life was not lost for me!” the boy’s voice was choked in his sobs65.
“My Vincent—it was God’s will—we must not murmur66! We must think on the happiness which we trust one day to share with him who has gone before us. My care must now be for you—he is beyond our aid! You must have rest, and warmth, and dry clothes instantly, my Vincent; your hands are cold as ice, your very lips colourless and white,—come with me at once to your own room—your comfort must be my first thought now.”
And then, with the tenderness of a mother, Clemence tended her boy. She insisted on Vincent’s at once retiring to rest, prepared a warm beverage67 to restore circulation to his chilled and shivering frame, chafed68 his numbed69 hands within her own, and spoke70 to him soothing71 words of tenderness and love. Clemence left him at last dropping into slumber72, and then bent73 her rapid steps towards the apartment of Louisa, about whom she had felt less anxiety, as knowing her to be under the care of her sister and aunt.
Mrs. Effingham met Dr. Howard quitting the room, accompanied by Lady Selina. The countenance11 of the physician was grave.
“The shock to so delicate a constitution has been very severe,” he said in reply to a question from Clemence; “an increase of fever is to be apprehended74. I should certainly recommend that some one should sit up with Miss Effingham during the night.”
“I will watch beside her,” said Clemence.
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1
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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serpentine
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| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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proficients
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| 精通的，熟练的( proficient的名词复数 ) | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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urchins
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| n.顽童( urchin的名词复数 )；淘气鬼；猬；海胆 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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23
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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24
hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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25
petrified
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| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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26
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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27
fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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28
brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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30
scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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31
impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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35
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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38
entangled
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| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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39
clotted
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| adj.凝结的v.凝固( clot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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41
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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42
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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43
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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44
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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45
wringing
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| 淋湿的，湿透的 | |
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46
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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47
entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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48
stimulate
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| vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋 | |
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49
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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50
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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51
agonizing
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| adj.痛苦难忍的；使人苦恼的v.使极度痛苦；折磨(agonize的ing形式) | |
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52
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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53
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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54
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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57
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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59
stunning
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| adj.极好的；使人晕倒的 | |
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60
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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61
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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62
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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reverently
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| adv.虔诚地 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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65
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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66
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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67
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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68
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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71
soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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73
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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