A vision of the woman he loved, come to save
him in the direst moment of great peril! His heart beat with new hope; only the blackness of the stormy sea was
before him as he strove frantically on. Presently when he felt the current slacken, for he had been swimming
across it and could feel its power, he turned and looked back. As he did
so he murmured aloud:

'A dream! A vision! She came to warn me!' For as he looked all had
disappeared. Cliff and coastline, dark rocks and leaping seas, blazing
fire, and the warning vision of the woman he loved. Again he looked where the waste of sea churning amongst the sunken rocks
had been. He could hear the roaring of waters, the thunder of great
waves beating on the iron-bound coast; but nothing could he see. He was
alone on the wild sea; in the dark. Then truly the swift shadow of despair fell upon him. 'Blind  Blind!' he moaned, and for the moment, stricken with despair,
sank into the trough of the waves. But the instinctive desire for life
recalled him. Once more he fought his way up to the surface, and swam
blindly, desperately on. Seeing nothing, he did not know which way he
was going. He might have heard better had his eyes been able to help his
ears; but in the sudden strange darkness all the senses were astray. In
the agony of his mind he could not even feel the pain of his burnt face;
the torture of his eyes had passed. But with the instinct of a strong
man he kept on swimming blindly, desperately. * * * * *

It seemed as if ages of untold agony had gone by, when he heard a voice
seemingly beside him:

'Lay hold here! Catch the girth!' The voice came muffled by wind and
wave. His strength was now nearly at its last. The shock of his blindness and the agony of the moments that had passed
had finished his exhaustion. But a little longer and he must have sunk
into his rest. But the voice and the help it promised rallied him for a
moment. He had hardly strength to speak, but he managed to gasp out:

'Where? where? Help me! I am blind!' A hand took his and guided it to
a tightened girth. Instinctively his fingers closed round it, and he
hung on grimly. His senses were going fast. He felt as if it was all a
strange dream. A voice here in the sea! A girth! A horse; he could
hear its hard breathing. The voice came again. 'Steady! Hold on! My God! he's fainted! I must tie him on!' He heard
a tearing sound, and something was wound round his wrists. Then his
nerveless fingers relaxed their hold; and all passed into oblivion. CHAPTER XXXIII--THE QUEEN'S ROOM


To Stephen all that now happened seemed like a dream. She saw Hector and
his gallant young master forge across the smoother water of the current
whose boisterous stream had been somewhat stilled in the churning amongst
the rocks, and then go north in the direction of the swimmer who, strange
to say, was drifting in again towards the sunken rocks. Then she saw the
swimmer's head sink under the water; and her heart grew cold. Was this
to be the end! Was such a brave man to be lost after such gallant effort
as he had made, and just at the moment when help was at hand! The few seconds seemed ages. Instinctively she shut her eyes and prayed
again. 'Oh! God. Give me this man's life that I may atone!' God seemed to have heard her prayer. Nay, more! He had mercifully
allowed her to be the means of averting great danger. She would never,
could never, forget the look on the man's face when he saw, by the flame
that she had kindled, ahead of him the danger from the sunken rocks. She
had exulted at the thought. And now . . . She was recalled by a wild cheer beside her. Opening her eyes she saw
that the man's head had risen again from the water. He was swimming
furiously, this time seaward. But close at hand were the heads of the
swimming horse and man . . . She saw the young squire seize the man . . . And then the rush of her tears blinded her. When she could see again the
horse had turned and was making back again to the shelter of the point. The squire had his arm stretched across the horse's back; he was holding
up the sailor's head, which seemed to roll helplessly with every motion
of the cumbering sea. For a little she thought he was dead, but the voice of the old whaler
reassured her:

'He was just in time! The poor chap was done!' And so with beating
heart and eyes that did not flinch now she watched the slow progress to
the shelter of the point. The coastguards and fishermen had made up
their minds where the landing could be made, and were ready; on the rocky
shelf, whence Hector had at jumped, they stood by with lines. When the
squire had steered and encouraged the horse, whose snorting could be
heard from the sheltered water, till he was just below the rocks, they
lowered a noosed rope. This he fastened round the senseless man below
his shoulders. One strong, careful pull, and he was safe on land; and
soon was being borne up the steep zigzag on the shoulders of the willing
crowd. In the meantime other ropes were passed down to the squire. One he
placed round his own waist; two others he fastened one on each side of
the horse's girth. Then his friend lowered the bridle, and he managed to
put it on the horse and attached a rope to it. The fishermen took the
lines, and, paying out as they went so as to leave plenty of slack line,
got on the rocks just above the little beach whereon, sheltered though it
was, the seas broke heavily. There they waited, ready to pull the horse
through the surf when he should have come close enough. Stephen did not see the rescue of the horse; for just then a tall grave
man spoke to her:

'Pardon me, Lady de Lannoy, but is the man to be brought up to the
Castle? I am told you have given orders that all the rescued shall be
taken there.' She answered unhesitatingly:

'Certainly! I gave orders before coming out that preparation was to be
made for them.' 'I am Mr. Hilton. I have just come down to do lacum tenens for Dr.
Winter at Lannoch Port. I rode over on hearing there was a wreck, and
came here with the rocket-cart. I shall take charge of the man and bring
him up. He will doubtless want some special care.' 'If you will be so good!' she answered, feeling a diffidence which was
new to her. At that moment the crowd carrying the senseless man began to
appear over the cliff, coming up the zig-zag. The Doctor hurried towards
him; she followed at a little distance, fearing lest she should hamper
him. Under his orders they laid the patient on the weather side of the
bonfire so that the smoke would not reach him. The Doctor knelt by his
side. An instant after he looked up and said:

'He is alive; his heart is beating, though faintly. He had better be
taken away at once. There is no means here of shelter.' 'Bring him in the rocket-cart; it is the only conveyance here,' cried
Stephen. 'And bring Mr. Hepburn too. He also will need some care after
his gallant service. I shall ride on and advise my household of your
coming. And you good people come all to the Castle.