our of need, Fred must be discharged.
He had, with some regret, determined upon this discipline, when from
directly over his head the voice of Fred hailed him cautiously.

"Mr. Winthrop," the voice called, "are you there?"

To Winthrop the question seemed superfluous. He jumped to his feet,
and peered up into the darkness.

"Where are YOU?" he demanded.

"At the window," came the answer. "We're in the back yard. Mr. Sam
wants to speak to you."

On Miss Forbes's account, Winthrop gave a gasp of relief. On his own,
one of savage satisfaction.

"And _I_ want to speak to HIM!" he whispered.

The moonlight, which had been faintly shining through the iron bars of
the coal chute, was eclipsed by a head and shoulders. The comfortable
voice of Sam Forbes greeted him in a playful whisper.

"Hullo, Billy! You down there?"

"Where the devil did you think I was?" Winthrop answered at white heat.
"Let me tell you if I was not down here I'd be punching your head."

"That's all right, Billy," Sam answered soothingly. "But I'll save you
just the same. It shall never be said of Sam Forbes he deserted a
comrade----"

"Stop that! Do you know," Winthrop demanded fiercely, "that your
sister is a prisoner upstairs?"

"I do," replied the unfeeling brother, "but she won't be long. All the
low-comedy parts are out now arranging a rescue."

"Who are? Todd and those boys?" demanded Winthrop. "They mustn't think
of it! They'll only make it worse. It is impossible to get your
sister out of here with those drunken firemen in the building. You
must wait till they've gone home. Do you hear me?"

"Pardon ME!" returned Sam stiffly, "but this is MY relief expedition.
I have sent two of the boys to hold the bridge, like Horatius, and two
to guard the motors, and the others are going to entice the firemen
away from the engine house."

"Entice them? How?" demanded Winthrop. "They're drunk, and they won't
leave here till morning."

Outside the engine house, suspended from a heavy cross-bar, was a steel
rail borrowed from a railroad track, and bent into a hoop. When hit
with a sledge-hammer it proclaimed to Fairport that the "consuming
element" was at large.

At the moment Winthrop asked his question, over the village of Fairport
and over the bay and marshes, and far out across the Sound, the great
steel bar sent forth a shuddering boom of warning.

From the room above came a wild tumult of joyous yells.

"Fire!" shri