d it smelt. My door was the nearest to the
staircase, and when I opened it a great cloud of smoke rolled in my
face. For a moment it was all cloud and darkness, then a light shot up
from below, and the crackling noise was repeated. It was true, quite
true. The house was on fire, and already the staircase was ablaze!

CHAPTER NINE.

_August 16th_.
We used to wonder at school sometimes how we should behave if we
suddenly found ourselves in a position of great danger. I always said I
should scream and hide my face, and faint if I possibly could, but I am
thankful to remember that, when it came to the point, I did nothing of
the sort. My heart gave one big, sickening throb, and then I felt
suddenly quite calm and cold and self-possessed, almost as if I didn't
care. I went back into my room, put on my dressing-gown and slippers,
took up a big brass bell which one of the girls had given me, and,
shutting the door carefully behind me, ran along the corridor, ringing
it as loudly as I could, and knocking at each door as I passed. I
didn't call out "Fire!"--it was too terrifying; besides, I knew the
others would guess what was wrong as soon as they heard the bell and
smelt the smoke, and, in less than two minutes, every door was open, and
the occupants of the different rooms first peeped and then rushed out on
to the landing in dressing-gowns and shawls, and all sorts of quaint-
looking wraps. One light was always left burning all night long, so we
could see each other, even when the smoke hid that other horrible lurid
light, and it is wonderful how brave we all were on the whole. Mother
came forward wrapped in her long blue gown, and found a chair for Madge
Talbot, who was the only one who showed signs of breaking down, just as
quietly and graciously as if she had been entertaining her in the
drawing-room. Father and the men consulted rapidly together, and Vere
put her arm round me, and leant on my shoulder. I could feel her
trembling, but she shut her lips tight, and tried hard to smile
encouragingly at poor Madge, and all the time the smoke grew thicker,
and the horrid crackling louder and nearer.

"The drawing-room!" we heard father say. "The servants have been
careless in putting out the lights, and something has smouldered and
finally caught the curtains--that's the most probable explanation. If
that is the case, I fear the back stairs will be im