tly did the child cling to her
that Alice had great difficulty in getting her into a proper position
to drop her on to the bed, but she succeeded at last, and another loud
cheer from the crowd announced that she had saved two lives.

Scarcely five minutes had elapsed since the fire broke out, but the
contents of the shop were such that the flames spread at a fearful
rate, and the onlookers knew that if Alice Ayres did not jump quickly
she would be burned to death.

'Jump! jump!' they shouted excitedly.

But there was a baby lying in the cot, and back Alice Ayres went,
brought it safely through fire and smoke to the window, and dropped it
out. She had saved three lives!

Weakened by the heat and the smoke, Alice Ayres now decided to leap
from the window, and the anxious people in the street watched her in
silence as she climbed to the window sill. She jumped, but her body
struck one of the large dummy jars above the front of the shop and
caused her to fall head foremost on the bed, and then topple over on to
the pavement with a sickening thud. Quickly and tenderly she was
lifted on to a shutter and carried into a neighbouring shop, where
medical aid was soon at hand.

In the meanwhile the firemen had arrived. They had come as soon as
they were called, but they arrived too late to save the other three
inmates of the house from perishing in the flames.

But the interest of the crowd was centred in the condition of Alice
Ayres, and as she was being removed to Guy's Hospital there was
scarcely a man or a woman present whose eyes were not filled with
tears. Many followed on to the hospital, in the hope of hearing the
medical opinion of her condition, and before long it became known that
she had fractured and dislocated her spine, and that there was no hope
of her recovery.

Alice Ayres died at Guy's Hospital on Sunday, April 26, 1885, aged 25,
and at the inquest, when her coffin was covered with beautiful flowers
sent from all parts of the land, the coroner declared that he should
not be doing justice to the jury or the public, did he not give
expression to the general feeling of admiration which her noble conduct
had aroused. In the hurry and excitement of a fire there were few who
had the presence of mind to act as she had done, or who would run the
risks she had for the sake of saving others. He deeply regretted that
so valuable a life, offered so generously, had been sacrificed.

In the Postmen's Park, wh