h alarm when they saw the look of despair on the boy's face.

"Don't leave us!" Mary pleaded piteously.

"No, no!" cried George. "We'll find a way yet." But cheerfully as he
spoke, in his heart he almost despaired.

It was but a few seconds the three had been in the playroom, but when
they looked out into the corridor again, to their horror they found it
blazing, the flames leaping towards them with astonishing bounds,
carried along by the evening breeze that had sprung up. The sight
seemed to drive Mrs. Maynard demented. With a shriek she darted away,
sped along the burning passage, and before the boy and girl could
realize the situation, she had dashed down the blazing staircase. The
sound of a crash and a fearful scream reached their ears, telling
their own tale. The girl clung to George, her head sank, and she
fainted.

Desperate now, the lad placed her on the floor, and, thrusting his
head from the window, perceived that he could clamber up the two or
three feet of rain spout that ran close by, and gain a position on the
roof just overhead. If he could gain that, he thought he might run to
a further wing of the building that seemed at present untouched by the
fire. But the girl, what of her? He cast his eyes about and descried
two or three skipping ropes in a corner. Hastily he tied them end to
end, fastened a portion round Mary's waist, his movements hastened by
the burst of flame that just then shot into the room. Then clambering
desperately to the roof, the rope in his teeth, he got a footing on
the parapet, and began to haul up the fainting girl.

Hand over hand he hauled up the cord and its burden. The child was
dangling between earth and sky when suddenly a great shout came from
below. George glanced down, and there, running with up-turned
horror-stricken face, was Matthew Blackett. Help at last! But had it
come too late?

CHAPTER IV

THE RESCUE

Matthew stopped short, unable to move a yard further, his eyes fixed
upon the slight form hanging so dangerously high above him. It was
truly an awful moment for both the lads, a moment never afterwards to
be forgotten by either of them. The time of suspense was but seconds;
it seemed years. But George, his knees firmly pressed against the low
parapet wall that ran along the top in front of the house, had no
difficulty in supporting the weight, and not too much in actually
hauling up his living burden. Another moment and he had seized one arm
with