own safety threatened.

For it began to be evident that the flames would quickly overleap
the gap presented by Thames Street. They were gathering so
fearfully in power that great flakes of fire detached themselves
from the burning buildings and leaped upon other places to right
and left, as though endowed with the power of volition.

The fire was even spreading eastward in spite of the strong east
wind--not, of course, with anything like the rapidity with which it
made its way westward, but in a fashion which plainly showed how
firm a hold it had upon the doomed houses.

There was no time to lose if Lady Scrope and her valuables were to
be saved. The house seemed full of smoke as they entered it; and
Dorcas led them up the stairs into the parlour, at the window of
which her mistress was standing, leaning upon her stick, and
uttering a succession of short, sharp exclamations, intermingled
with the cackling laugh of old age.

"Ha! that is a good one! Some roof fell in then! See the sparks
rushing up like waters from a fountain! I would not have missed
that! Pity it is daylight; 'twould have been twice as fine at
night! Good! good! good! yes run, my man, run, or the flames will
catch you. Ha! they gave him a lick, and he has dropped his bundle
and fled for his very life. Ha! ha! ha! it is as good as the best
play I ever saw in my life! Here comes another. Oh, he has so laden
himself that he can scarcely run. There! he is down; he struggles
to rise, but his pack holds him to the ground. O my good fool! you
will find that your goods cost you dear today. You should have read
your Bible to better purpose. Ah! there is some good-natured fool
helping him up and along. It is more than he deserves. I should
have liked to see what he did when the next wave of fire ran up the
street.

"Dorcas, child, where art thou? Thou art losing the finest sight of
thy life! If thou hast courage to stay with me, why hast thou not
courage to enjoy such a sight as thou wilt not see twice in a
lifetime?"

"Madam! madam!" cried the girl running forward, "here are my father
and brother, come to help to save your goods and escape by the
back. They have brought the boat to Cold Harbour, where it is
moored; and, if it please you, they will conduct you to it, and
come back and fetch such goods as you would most wish saved."

But the old woman did not even turn her head. She was eagerly
scanning the street without, along which sheets of flame see