y did not know whether or not the hold was on
fire, and the whole ship might burst into a blaze the moment the air
was admitted. Allen soon appeared with an _extincteur_ on his back,
and the mate with the hose. Then the cupboard in Mr. Bingham's room
was opened, and burning cloaks, dresses, boxes of curios,
portmanteaus, &c., were hauled out, and, by a chain of men, sent on
deck, where they were drenched with sea-water or thrown overboard.
Moving these things caused the flames to increase in vigour, and the
_extincteur_ was used freely, and with the greatest success. It is an
invaluable invention, especially for a yacht, where there are so many
holes and corners which it would be impossible to reach by ordinary
means. All this time the smoke was pouring in volumes from the
cupboard on the other side, and from under the nursery fireplace. The
floors were pulled up, and the partitions were pulled down, until at
last the flames were got under. The holds were next examined. No
damage had been done there; but the cabin floor was completely burnt
through, and the lead from the nursery fireplace was running about,
melted by the heat.

The explanation of the cause of the fire is very simple. Being a
bitterly cold night, a roaring fire had been made up in the nursery,
but about half-past ten the servants thought it looked rather
dangerous and raked it out. The ashpan was not large enough, however,
to hold the hot embers, which soon made the tiles red-hot. The
woodwork caught fire, and had been smouldering for hours, when the
nurse fortunately woke and discovered the state of affairs. She tried
to rouse the other maids, but they were stupefied with the smoke, and
so she rushed off at once to the doctor and Mr. Bingham. The former
seized a child under each arm, wrapped them in blankets, and carried
them off to the deck-house, Mabelle and the maids following, with more
blankets and rugs, hastily snatched up. The children were as good as
possible. They never cried nor made the least fuss, but composed
themselves in the deck-house to sleep for the remainder of the night,
as if it were all a matter of course. When I went to see them, little
Muriel remarked: 'If the yacht is on fire, mamma, had not baby and I
better get our ulsters, and go with Emma in the boat to the hotel, to
be out of the way?' It is the third time in their short lives that
they have been picked out of bed in the middle of the night and
carried off in blankets away