Wilhelm made a
supreme effort and lifted the boy so far out of the water that she
could grasp him, put her arms round him, and drag him up, and with
him apparently Wilhelm, for his head and shoulders rose for a moment
above the water. With a jerk she dragged the fainting boy over the
parapet and held him in her arms, while she continued to scream for
help. People came running from the shore the Carlstrasse, the
Fahrhaus, and in an instant the terrace was crowded. They relieved
the still half-demented mother of the dripping child to carry him
across to the house. She was pushing her way through the closely
packed groups and tottering after them when a cry reached her.
"There is another one in the water!" Only then did she remember
Wilhelm. Terrified to death, she turned and flew back to the edge of
the terrace. A crowd stood there gesticulating wildly, all talking
at once, and obstructing the view. A gap opened when two or three
men with more presence of mind than the rest rushed down to the
landing, jumped into the boat, untied it, and pushed off from the
shore. And now, to her unspeakable horror, she saw that Wilhelm had
disappeared, and the thick muddy waters gave no clew to the spot
where he had gone down. This was too much, and she altogether lost
consciousness.
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