But one of the crowd was too much absorbed in watching the cottage to
heed the sudden commotion around him. This was Truffey, who, leaning
wearily on the parapet with his broken crutch looking over it also at
his side, sent his soul through his eyes to the cottage window. Even
when the bridge struck the pier, and he must have felt the mass on
which he stood tremble, he still kept staring at the cottage. Not till
he felt the bridge begin to sway, I presume, had he a notion of his
danger. Then he sprang up, and made for the street. The half of the
bridge crumbled away behind him, and vanished in the seething yellow
abyss.
At this moment, the first of the crowd from the Wan Water reached the
bridge-foot. Amongst them came the schoolmaster. Truffey was making
desperate efforts to reach the bank. His mended crutch had given way,
and he was hopping wildly along. Murdoch Malison saw him, and rushed
upon the falling bridge. He reached the cripple, caught him up in his
strong arms, turned and was half way to the street, when with a swing
and a sweep and a great plash, the remaining half of the bridge reeled
into the current and vanished. Murdoch Malison and Andrew Truffey left
the world each in the other's arms.
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