"
"Oh, beg pardon! I now understand. But how can you reach me?"
"Wade," he replied coolly, proceeding to take off his shoes and
stockings.
"What! through that horrid black mud?"
"I couldn't leap that distance, Miss Madison."
"It's too bad! I'm so provoked with myself! The mud may be very
deep, or there may be a quicksand or something."
"In which case I should merely disappear a little earlier;" and he
sprang overboard up to his knees, dragged the boat till it was
sufficiently fast in the ooze to be stationary, then he waded
ashore.
"Well," she said with a little deprecatory laugh, "it's a comfort
not to be alone on a desert island."
"Indeed! Can I be welcome under any circumstances?"
"Truly, Mr. Scofield, you know that you were never more welcome.
It's very kind of you."
"Any man would be glad to come to your aid. It is merely your
misfortune that I happen to be the one."
"I'm not sure that I regard it as a very great misfortune. You
proved in the case of that little boy that you can act very
energetically.
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