three small matters to remimber. First of all, take
oncommon good care o' your matches, an' don't let the childer git at
'em, if you've any in the house. Would you believe it, ma'am, there was
above fifty fires in London last year that was known to ha' bin set
alight by childers playin' wid matches, or by careless servants lettin'
'em drop an' treadin' on 'em?"

"How many?" asked Mrs Denman in surprise.

"Fifty, ma'am."

"Dear me! you amaze me, fireman; I had supposed there were not so many
fires in London in a year."

"A year!" exclaimed Joe. "Why, there's nearly three fires, on the
average, every twinty-four hours in London, an' that's about a thousand
fires in the year, ma'am."

"Are you sure of what you say, fireman?"

"Quite sure, ma'am; ye can ax Mr Braidwood if ye don't b'lieve me."

Mrs Denman, still in a state of blank amazement, said that she did not
doubt him, and bade him go on.

"Well, then," resumed Joe, "look well arter yer matches, an' niver read
in bed; that's the way hundreds o' houses get a light. When you light a
candle with a bit o' paper, ma'am, don't throw it on the floor an' tramp
on it an' think it's out, for many a time there's a small spark left,
an' the wind as always blows along the floor sets it up an' it kitches
somethin', and there you are--blazes an' hollerin' an' ingins goin' full
swing in no time. Then, ma'am, never go for to blow out yer gas, an' if
there's an escape don't rest till ye get a gasfitter and find it out.
But more particularly don't try to find it yerself with a candle. Och!
if ye'd only seen the blows up as I've seen from gas, ye'd look better
arter it. Not more nor two weeks gone by, ma'am, we was called to
attend a fire which was caused by an escape o' gas. W'en we got there
the fire was out, but sitch a mess you niver did see. It was a house,
ma'am, in the West End, with the most illigant painted walls and
cornices and gimcracks, idged all with goold. The family had just got
into it--noo done up for 'em, only, by good luck, there wasn't much o'
the furnitur' in. They had smelled a horrid smell o' gas for a good
while, but couldn't find it. At last the missis, she goes with a
workman an a _candle_ to look for it, an' sure enough they found it in a
bathroom. It had been escapin' in a small closet at the end o' the
bath, and not bein' able to git out, for the door was a tight fit, it
had gone away an' filled all the space between the ceilin's an' fl