er; "the house is on fire!
Come, I'll carry you out."

"No--No!" she cried, pushing him resolutely away. "What! carry me--me
out _thus_! I know it's on fire. Leave me, sir, I command you--I
entreat you; I will die rather than appear as I am--in public."

The poor lady finished off with a loud shriek; for Frank, seeing how
matters stood, and knowing there was not a moment to lose, plucked a
blanket from the bed, overwhelmed her in it, and exclaiming, "Forgive
me, ma'am," lifted her gently in his arms, bore her through the smoke,
down the escape, to the street; carried her into a neighbouring house
(the door of which was opportunely open), and laid her like a bundle on
one of the beds, where he left her, with strict injunctions to the
people of the house to take care of her! Frank then went out to rejoin
his comrades, and refreshed himself with a glass of beer; while Baxmore,
being a teetotaller, recruited his energies with a glass of water.

By this time the fire had been pretty well subdued; but there were some
parts smouldering about the roof and upper floor, that rendered it
necessary to keep the engines going, while the firemen hunted their foe
from room to room, and corner to corner--extinguishing him everywhere;
not, however, before he had completely gutted the whole house, with the
exception of part of the ground floor.

"Keep away from the walls, men," said Dale, coming up to the group, who
were resting.

At that moment there was a cry raised that some one was in the cellars.

At the word, Baxmore ran into the house, and descended to the basement.
There was little smoke here; but from the roof, water was running down
in a thick, warm shower, which drenched him in a few minutes. He ran
through the whole place, but found no one, until he opened the door of a
closet, when he discovered two old women who had taken refuge there; one
being deaf and the other lame, as her crutches testified. They were up
to the knees in water, and the same element was pouring in continuous
streams on their heads--yet, like the old lady up-stairs, they refused
to move or be moved.

Finding that persuasion was useless, Baxmore ran up for a horse-cloth,
and, returning, threw it over the head of the deaf old woman, whom he
bore, kicking violently, into the street. The other was carried out in
the same fashion--only that she screamed violently, being unable to
kick.

Soon after that, the fire was completely extinguished, and