men visibly exhausted--Silcock ahead, but his rudder overlapped by
Hardie's bow; each in his own water.

"We are third," sighed Julia, and turned her head away from the river
sorrowfully. But only for a moment, for she felt Mrs. Dodd start and
press her arm; and lo! Edward's skiff was shooting swiftly across from
their side of the river. He was pulling Just within himself, in beautiful
forum, and with far more elasticity than the other two had got left. As
line passed his mother and sister, his eyes seemed to strike fire, and he
laid out all his powers, and went at the leading skiffs hand over head
There was a yell of astonishment and delight from both sides of the
Thames. He passed Hardie, who upon that relaxed his speed. In thirty
seconds more he was even with Silcock. Then came a keen struggle: but the
new comer was "the horse that could stay:" he drew steadily ahead, and
the stern of his boat was in a line with Silcock's person when the gun
fired; and a fearful roar from the bridge, the river, and the banks,
announced that the favourite university had picked up the sculls in the
person of Dodd of Exeter.

In due course he brought the little silver sculls, and pinned them on his
mother.

While she and Julia were telling him how proud they were, and how happy
they should be, but for their fears that he would hurt himself, beating
gentlemen ever so much older than himself, came two Exeter men with wild
looks hunting for him.

"Oh, Dodd! Hardie wants you directly."

"Don't you go, Edward," whispered Julia; "why should you be at Mr.