nd was at once effective, and it was well, for
she exclaimed, 'Miss Martindale, you are on fire,' just as the light and
the scorching were revealing the same to herself. There was no time for
personal terror, barely for pain, the fire was crushed out between them
by the help of a woollen table-cover, they scarcely knew how, they only
saw that the draught had increased the blaze in the room, and dense
clouds of smoke came bursting out upon them.

Mrs. Nesbit clung terrified to her niece, but Theodora, with a word or
two of encouragement, freed herself from her grasp, and leaving her
to Mrs. Garth's care, flew up the nursery stairs. She must have the
children in their mother's sight before the alarm should reach her.
Sarah's first waking impulse was to growl, that Master Johnnie would
catch his death of cold, but the next moment she was equal to any
emergency; and the little ones were at their mother's door just as
she was opening it, thinking the noise more than Maria's illness could
occasion, and setting forth to see whether there was anything amiss in
the nursery. Theodora put Annie into her arms. 'All safe. It is only the
north wing. Don't be frightened. Stay where you are.'

Violet could only obey, thankful at having her three around her,
and trying to keep her terror from being visible enough to increase
Johnnie's exceeding alarm, or to frighten Helen out of her happy state
of inquisitive excitement and curiosity.

Theodora had hurried to call her parents. They were already in motion.
Lord Martindale's first care was for Violet and the children, Lady
Martindale's for her aunt, and almost instantly she was embracing and
supporting the pale shrunken figure, now feebly tottering along the
gallery, forsaken by Mrs. Garth, who had gone back to secure her own
valuables.

By this time, the gallery was full of screaming maids, whom Sarah had,
with difficulty, prevented from leaping at once from attic windows; and
staring men, hallooing for water, which no one brought, except little
Helen, who, escaping from her mother's room, ran barefooted into the
midst, holding aloft the water-bottle triumphantly, and very indignant
at being captured, and carried back in the butler's arms.

The fire was spreading so fast that Lord Martindale decided on removing
all the helpless to the gardener's house at the end of the pleasure
ground. He came himself to call Violet, told her not to be alarmed, and,
taking his grandson in his arms,