Victoria Read Online Free

go ashore. He began turning the boat.
    Then he suddenly saw a glimpse of something white and heard a splash in the water; a chorus of desperate, screaming voices rose from the ship and from people on shore, and numerous hands and eyes indicated the spot where the white thing had disappeared. The music was stopped immediately.
    Johannes was there in an instant. He acted entirely by instinct, without thinking, without conscious decision. He never heard the mother up on deck screaming, “My little girl, my little girl!” and he no longer saw a single person. He simply jumped from the boat right off and dived in.
    For a moment he was gone, for a minute; they could see the water swirling where he had jumped in, and they understood he was working away. On board the ship the wailing continued.
    Then he popped up again a bit farther out, several fathoms from the scene of the accident. People shouted to him, gestur ing wildly: “No, it was here, it was here!”
    And again he dived.
    Another agonizing moment, a ceaseless wailing and wringing of hands from a woman and a man on deck. Another man, the mate, jumped out from the ship, having removed his jacket and shoes. He carefully searched the place where the girl had gone down, and everybody pinned their hopes on him.
    Then Johannes’ head reappeared above the surface, still farther out, several more fathoms. He had lost his cap, his head glistened like the head of a seal in the sun. He was evidently struggling with something, was having difficulty swimming, one hand being tied up. A moment later he had managed to heave something into his mouth, between his teeth, a big bundle; it was the child. Astonished cries reached him from the ship and the shore; even the mate must have heard the new shouts, he shot up his head and looked about him.
    Finally Johannes reached his boat, which had drifted off; he got the girl on board and then himself. It was all done without hesitation. People saw him bending over the girl and literally tearing her clothes open in the back; then he seized the oars and rowed up to the ship for all he was worth. The moment the child was snatched up and pulled aboard, a succession of triumphant cheers rang out.
    “How come it occurred to you to search so far out?” they asked him.
    “I know the ground,” he replied. “And then there is a current. I knew that.”
    A gentleman pushes his way to the ship’s side, he is deathly pale; he smiles a twisted smile and there are tears on his eyelashes.
    “Come on board for a moment!” he calls down. “I want to thank you. We owe you such a debt of gratitude. Just for a moment.”
    And the man rushes back from the rail again, deathly pale.
    The ports are opened and Johannes steps on board.
    He didn’t remain there for long; he gave his name and address, a woman embraced the soaking wet young man, and the pale, distraught gentleman slipped his watch into his hand. Johannes entered a cabin where two men were working on the half-drowned girl. “She’ll pull through, her pulse is beating!” they said. Johannes looked at the patient, a young blond thing in a short dress; the dress was completely torn in the back. Then a man planted a hat on his head and he was led out.
    He had no clear idea how he had got ashore and pulled up the boat. He heard another round of cheers and festive music as the ship steamed away. A wave of rapture, cool and sweet, flowed through him from top to toe; he smiled and his lips moved.
    “So there won’t be any outing today?” Ditlef said. He looked disgruntled.
    Victoria had appeared; she stepped up and said quickly, “Certainly not. Are you crazy! He must get home and change his clothes.”
    Ah, what a thing to have happened to him, in his nineteenth year at that!
    Johannes took to his heels and ran home. The music and the loud hurrahs were still ringing in his ears, he continued being propelled by a powerful excitement. He passed his home and followed the path through the woods up to the