Charlson had been gone more than a quarter of an hour: could it be possible that he had left too soon, and that his attempts to restore her had operated so sluggishly as only now to have made themselves felt?
Barnet laid his hand upon her chest, and fancied that ever and anon a faint flutter of palpitation, gentle as that of a butterfly's wing, disturbed the stillness there--ceasing for a time, then struggling to go on, then breaking down in weakness and ceasing again.
Barnet's mother had been an active practitioner of the healing art among her poorer neighbours, and her inspirations had all been derived from an octavo volume of Domestic Medicine, which at this moment was lying, as it had lain for many years, on a shelf in Barnet's dressing-room.

He hastily fetched it, and there read under the head 'Drowning:'- 'Exertions for the recovery of any person who has not been immersed for a longer period than half-an-hour should be continued for at least four hours, as there have been many cases in which returning life has made itself visible even after a longer interval.
'Should, however, a weak action of any of the organs show itself when the case seems almost hopeless, our efforts must be redoubled; the feeble spark in this case requires to be solicited; it will certainly disappear under a relaxation of labour.' Barnet looked at his watch; it was now barely two hours and a half from the time when he had first heard of the accident.

He threw aside the book and turned quickly to reach a stimulant which had previously been used.

Pulling up the blind for more light, his eye glanced out of the window.

There he saw that red chimney still smoking cheerily, and that roof, and through the roof that somebody.