e of her dress had been
burnt away. Her moaning never ceased; there was a fire-mark on the
lower part of her face, and she stared with eyes of terror and
anguish at whoever approached her. Already a doctor had been sent
for, and Cobb, reporting that all was safe at 'Runnymede,' wished to
remove her at once to her own bed room, and the strangers were eager
to assist.

'What will the Mumfords say?' Louise asked of a sudden, trying to
raise herself.

'Leave all that to me,' Cobb replied reassuringly. 'I'll make it all
right; don't trouble yourself.'

The nervous shock had made her powerless; they carried her in a
chair back to 'Runnymede,' and upstairs to her bedroom. Scarcely was
this done when Mr. and Mrs. Mumford, after a leisurely walk from the
station, approached their garden gate. The sight of a little crowd
of people in the quiet road, the smell of burning, loud voices of
excited servants, caused them to run forward in alarm. Emmeline,
frenzied by the certainty that her own house was on fire, began to
cry aloud for her child, and Mumford rushed like a madman through
the garden.

'It's all right,' said a man who stood in the doorway. 'You Mr.
Mumford? It's all right. There's been a fire, but we've got it out.'

Emmeline learnt at the same moment that her child had suffered no
harm, but she would not pause until she saw the little one and held
him in her embrace. Meanwhile, Cobb and Mumford talked in the
devastated drawing-room, which was illumined with candles.

'It's a bad job, Mr. Mumford. My name is Cobb: I daresay you've
heard of me. I came to see Miss Derrick, and I was clumsy enough to
knock the lamp over.'

'Knock the lamp over! How could you do that? Were you drunk?'

'No, but you may well ask the question. I stumbled over something--a
little chair, I think--and fell against the table with the lamp on
it.'

'Where's Miss Derrick?'

'Upstairs. She got rather badly burnt, I'm afraid. We've sent for a
doctor.'

'And here I am,' spoke a voice behind them. 'Sorry to see this, Mr.
Mumford.'

The two went upstairs together, and on the first landing encountered
Emmeline, sobbing and wailing hysterically with the child in her
arms. Her husband spoke soothingly.

'Don't, don't, Emmy. Here's Dr. Billings come to see Miss Derrick.
She's the only one that has been hurt. Go down, there's a good girl,
and send somebody to help in Miss Derrick's room; you can't be any
use yourself just now.'

'But how d