He was under the river a long time and had great difficulty in holding his breath.

When it seemed impossible, and his chest was about to heave, he thought he heard his wife telling him that he could hold out a little longer.

An instant later his face cleared the water.
For a moment, in the depths of the river, he had realized what it would mean to die a hypocrite, and to lie dead under the last abandonment of her tenderness.

But once in the light and air, he knew he should live to tell her and to recover all he had lost.

Now, at last, he felt sure of himself.