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The horse was breaking through the ice.

“Whoa!” said Marstern, firmly. Even as he spoke, Lottie was out of the sleigh and running back on the ice, crying and wringing her hands.

“We shall be drowned,” she almost screamed hysterically.

“Mr. Marstern, what SHALL we do? Can’t we turn around and go back the way we came?”

“Miss Carrie, will you do what I ask? Will you believe me when I say that I do not think you are in any danger?”

“Yes, I’ll do my best,” she replied, catching her breath. She grew calm rapidly as he tried to reassure Lottie, telling her that water from the rising of the tide had overflowed the main ice and that thin ice had formed over it, also that the river at the most was only two or three feet deep at that point. But all was of no avail; Lottie stood out upon the ice in a panic, declaring that he never should have brought them into such danger, and that he must turn around at once and go back as they came.

“But, Miss Waldo, the tide is rising, and we may find wet places returning. Besides, it would bring us home very late. Now, Miss Carrie and I will drive slowly across this place and then return for you. After we have been across it twice you surely won’t fear.”

“I won’t be left alone; suppose you two should break through and disappear, what would become of ME?”

“You would be better off than we,” he replied, laughing.

“I think it’s horrid of you to laugh. Oh, I’m so cold and frightened! I feel as if the ice were giving way under my feet.”

“Why, Miss Lottie, we just drove over that spot where you stand. Here, Miss Carrie shall stay with you while I drive back and forth alone.”

“Then if you were drowned we’d both be left alone to freeze to death.”

“I pledge you my word you shall be by that grate-fire within less than an hour if you will trust me five minutes.”

“Oh, well, if you will risk your life and ours too; but Carrie must stay with me.”

“Will YOU trust me, Miss Carrie, and help me out of this scrape?”

Carrie was recovering from her panic, and replied, “I have given you my promise.”

He was out of the sleigh instantly, and the thin ice broke with him also. “I must carry you a short distance,” he said. “I cannot allow you to get your feet wet. Put one arm around my neck, so; now please obey as you promised.”

She did so without a word, and he bore her beyond the water, inwardly exulting and blessing that thin ice. His decision was coming with the passing seconds; indeed, it had come. Returning to the sleigh he drove slowly forward, his horse making a terrible crunching and splashing, Lottie meanwhile keeping up a staccato accompaniment of little shrieks.

“Ah, my charming creature,” he thought, “with you it was only, ‘What will become of ME?’ I might not have found out until it was too late the relative importance of ‘me’ in the universe had we not struck this bad crossing; and one comes to plenty of bad places to cross in a lifetime.”

The area of thin ice was not very narrow, and he was becoming but a dim and shadowy outline to the girls. Lottie was now screaming for his return. Having crossed the overflowed space and absolutely assured himself that there was no danger, he returned more rapidly and found Carrie trying to calm her companion.

“Oh,” sobbed Lottie, “my feet are wet and almost frozen. The ice underneath may have borne you, but it won’t bear all three of us. Oh, dear, I wish I hadn’t–I wish I was home; and I feel as if I’d never get there.”

“Miss Lottie, I assure you that the ice will hold a ton, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I shall put you in the sleigh, and Miss Carrie will drive you over. You two together do not weigh much more than I do. I’ll walk just behind you with my hands on the back of the sleigh, and if I see the slightest danger I’ll lift you out of the sleigh first and carry you to safety.”