ayor was so much out of breath by his
unwonted exertions that some seconds elapsed before he could utter
a word, and in the meantime we continued ringing as though our lives
depended upon it. At length he contrived to gasp out a hurried inquiry
(hardly audible amidst the clanging of the bells) as to what was the
matter. To this Coleman replied by pointing with one hand to a kind
of loop-hole, of which there were several for the purpose of supplying
light and air to the interior of the tower, while with the other hand he
continued ringing away more lustily than before.

"Bless my soul!" exclaimed the mayor, raising himself on tiptoe, and
stretching his short neck in a vain endeavour to peep through the
loop-hole, "it must be a fire in West Street!"

~133~~Two or three of the by-standers immediately rushed into the
street, calling out, "A fire in West Street! send for the engines".

At this moment Freddy caught the eye of a tall, gaunt-looking man in a
top-boot and plush breeches, but without coat or waistcoat, and wearing
a gold-laced cocked hat on his head, hind part before, from beneath
which peeped out a white cotton night-cap. Having succeeded in
attracting the attention of this worthy, who in his proper person
supported the dignity of parish beadle, Coleman repeated the same
stratagem he had so successfully practised upon the mayor, save that
in this instance he pointed to a loop-hole in a completely opposite
direction to the one he had indicated previously. The beadle immediately
ran out, muttering ere he did so, "I was certain sure as they was
all wrong".--In another minute we heard him shouting, "It's in Middle
Street, I tell you, there's a fire in Middle Street!"

[Illustration: page133 Freddy Mystifies the Beadle]

Coleman now turned to the mayor, who, having somewhat recovered his
breath, was evidently preparing to question the sexton as to the
particulars of the affair, and exclaimed in a tone of deep feeling, "I
am surprised to see a person of your high station standing idle at a
moment like this! take a rope, sir, and lend a hand to assist us, if you
be a man".

"To be sure, to be sure," was the reply, "anything for the good of the
town," and, grasping an unoccupied rope, he began pulling away with all
his might.

The hubbub and confusion now became something unparalleled--people
without number kept running in and out of the tower, giving and
receiving all kinds of contradictory orders; volunteers