t
trust yourself to anyone but me, sweet-heart! I'll come to you in good
time!"

"Yes, Boy, yes! I'll come with you," said mother softly.

They went out of the room arm-in-arm, never once looking at me. It
seemed as if at the first touch of danger they had gone back to the old
days when they were lovers, and no difference of interest had arisen to
draw them apart. It made the tears come to my eyes to see them, and I
was glad to be forgotten.

The women servants were all awake by now, and, finding their own
staircase in flames, came swarming down the corridor to escape by the
main way; when they found this also was impracticable, they began to
shriek and moan, and to implore us to save them, and it was hard work to
get them into one room and keep them quiet. The men crowded at the
window, looking for help, and shouting directions to the coachmen and
gardeners when at last they came running towards the house. They flew
off, some to get ropes and ladders, some to alarm the neighbourhood, and
bring help from the nearest fire office. It was three miles off, and in
the country firemen are scattered about in outlying cottages, and there
would be all the way to come back. It made one sick to think how long
it might be before the engine arrived; and meantime the fire was
steadily spreading on the ground floor. When father bent forward to
shout to the men, the light on his face was dreadful to see. I had a
horrible longing to scream, and I think I should have done it if I
hadn't been so occupied with Annie, the kitchen-maid, who was literally
almost mad with fright. It seemed to soothe her to hold my arm, poor
little soul. Respect for "the gentry" had been so instilled into her
from her earliest years that I honestly believe she imagined the very
flames would hesitate to touch the Squire's "darter!"

It seemed ages before William and James came back--without the ladders!
They were kept locked up by father's special orders, as so many jewel
burglaries had taken place in the neighbourhood, the thieves using
ladders to get into a bedroom while dinner was going on downstairs.
Now, in the usual contrary way of things, the man who had the key had
ridden away, forgetting all about it in his haste to bring help. Father
stamped with impatience while the men were reporting their failure and
asking further instructions. It was getting more and more difficult to
hear, with that horrid roar coming up from below, and Mr Carst