throwing his hat on the
ground. "He's saved the baby!"

I began to cry again, and wondered why the people did not cheer. There
was only a sort of mumble of little shouts and cries and oaths, and the
people fell to one side and the other, as the Judge came toward me.

"Come, Margaret," he said.

I looked up and saw he was all blackened with smoke and soot, except
where the sweat had run down in white streaks. His face was close to
mine.

"Come! Do you hear?" he said. "I don't believe she's hurt, but we must
see. We'll go across to the Danforths'. There is nothing to do here.
I've got Julianna!"

Just as if the fire was answering him, there came a great ripping and
roaring, as if something had given away and collapsed. A tower of flames
shot up out of the roof--a sort of bud of flame that opened into a great
flower with petals. It was horrible to see the shingles curl and fall in
a blazing stream down onto the ground, as if they were drops of hot
metal.

It stupefied me, perhaps; I cannot remember how we went to the
neighbor's house or who welcomed us or how we got into the room on the
second floor, with a candle burning on the bureau. I noticed how small
and ridiculous the flame was and laughed. Indeed, I think when I
laughed, I woke up--really woke from my sleep for the first time.

"I went for a walk," the Judge was saying. "I had a headache. I couldn't
sleep. I moved the lamp onto the card table. The curtain must have blown
into it. We must thank God. We were lucky, very lucky!"

He was pacing up and down there like a caged animal.

"I'm thankful Eleanor, my wife, wasn't at home," he went on, talking
very fast. "She has always been so delicate--had so much sorrow--so
much trouble. A shock would kill her--a shock like that. My God, we were
lucky!"

I got up and pushed the tangled hair back from my face.

"It's all right," he went on with a thick tongue. "Julianna is all
right--the little rascal is smoky, but all right. Blow the candle out.
It is getting light outside. It's dawn."

The child on the bed kicked its pink feet out from under its long
dresses and gave one of those gurgles to show it was awake. The sound
made me scream. I had just awakened from my stupidity.

"The other child!" I cried.

"The other!" he said. "What other?"

"The one he left," I whispered. "I had forgotten her."

"My God! so had I. I had only one thought," he cried out. "Only one
thought! And now Chalmers's wish has been