At this startling, not to say overwhelming statement, Granny became quite white, and, holding on to a chair near at hand, did not speak.
"There is nothing for you to alarm yourself about, Mrs. Wyndham," I said quietly.--"Chris, stop crying; you are frightening Granny.--He managed to fall into the pond, trying to teach Jack to swim, but it was at the shallow end, so there was no danger."
Thus reassured, Granny looked at me with relief.
"Thank God!" she said earnestly, as she kissed the little beggar thankfully, all wet and tear-stained as he was.
Then, with an attempt to control her emotion, but speaking in a voice that trembled in spite of herself:
"Come, come," she said to Briggs, "we must not waste time in talking. We must put Master Chris to bed at once, and get him warm. See how he shivers. Yes, come upstairs at once, my darling, and I will hear all about it by and by."
And, together with Briggs and the cause of all the confusion, she went upstairs to take precautions for the prevention of the ill consequences likely to follow upon his rash deed. It was some time before she came downstairs again, and when she did so she looked worried.
"I am afraid, very much afraid, he has caught a chill," she remarked. "He so easily does that."
"Perhaps you may have prevented it," I said hopefully.
"I wish I could think so," she replied, shaking her head; "but I much fear that it cannot be altogether prevented. He is not strong, you see, my dear."
"And to think," she went on admiringly; "to think the darling ran that risk all because of his loving little heart; because he feared that some day we might be in danger of being drowned, and that if Jack could swim we should be rescued. Isn't it just like the pet to think of it?"
"It is," I agreed with conviction; adding cautiously, "It would have been better, I think, if he had told you of his idea before trying to put it into effect. It would have given everyone less trouble."
"He wished to surprise us all by showing us he had by himself taught Jack to swim," Granny returned, quick to defend her darling. "No, no, I see how it happened; he was thoughtless but not naughty. Indeed, I take what blame there is to myself. I should have considered, before I told him the story of Eliza and her dog Rover, the effect it was likely to have upon an active, quick little brain like his."