ry watching. By good
luck the bairns were both sleeping, and Mrs. Phillips resting quiet, so
I called Martha and Jim, and said we must take wet bags and green
boughs and beat the fire out as we burned. Jim was as quick and clever
as need be, and set about in earnest; but Martha said she could do
nothing for terror, and prayed me to remember her situation.

"'Your situation,' says I, 'will be far worse if you don't bestir
yourself for your own safety. If you won't lend a hand for the sake of
your poor helpless mistress and the innocent bairns, you behove to do
it for the sake of your own four quarters.' So she got more reasonable,
and helped us somewhat, but it was close work, for the fire was near.
It was all that poor wretch of a doctor's doing, too, for he had been
trying to smoke, and had dropped his lighted pipe in the dry withered
grass, and it blazed up like wild; he got out of it, for he was
travelling against the wind, while we were in full waft of it. I
thought the wind and the fire would beat us, and was like to throw up
the work in despair, when I saw a man on horseback galloping for dear
life. I thought it was the master at first, but it was Mr. Brandon, and
he was nigh hand as good, for he fell to, and worked with all his
might, and with his help we saved the house, and all the precious ones
in it. In time the men dropped in, and they set about working to save
the run, but if the wind had not providentially changed at night, they
would scarcely have been able to save it. As it was, there was
thousands of acres of land laid bare, and a flock of sheep killed; the
poor beasts have not the sense to run away out of the fire.

"Oh! the appearance of the place that night was awful to behold; and
just before the wind chopped round the master came home, riding like
fury.

"'We are all safe,' said I, as I ran to meet him, and I saw his face by
the light of the blazing fires around us was as pale as death. 'Mrs.
Phillips and the bairns are not a hair the worse. Thank God for all his
mercies!'

"'Thank God!' said he, 'thank God! Now they are preserved, I can bear
the loss of anything else!'

"He came to his wife, and kissed her and the bairns with solemn, and,
as I thought, with pathetic thankfulness. I was afraid she would be
sorely upset with the terrible events of the day, and I never closed my
eyes that night, but sat up by her bedside lest she should take a bad
turn; but she did not seem any the worse of it,