st night, and a false alarm and a
first-floor burnt out the day before."

"How's Thompson?" asked Forest.

"Poorly, I fear," said Frank, with a shake of his head. "The sprained
ankle he got when he fell off the folding-board is getting well, but the
injury to his spine from the engine is more serious."

"Ah! poor fellow!" said Forest, "he's just a little too reckless. How
came he by the sprain?"

"It was in the basement of a bookbinder's in Littleton Street," said
Frank, lighting a cigar. "We got the call about 11 p.m., and on getting
there found three engines at work. Mr Braidwood ordered our fellows to
go down into the basement. It was very dark, and so thick of smoke that
I couldn't see half-an-inch before my nose. We broke through the
windows, and found ourselves ankle-deep in water. The engines had been
at work flooding the place for some time, and there was more water than
we expected; but we had got on the folding-boards without knowing it,
an' before we knew where we were, down went Thompson into water four
feet deep. I think myself some of the water-pipes had burst. He rose
gasping, and I caught him by the collar and hauled him out. It was in
trying to recover himself when he fell that he got the sprain. You've
heard how he came by the other mishap?"

"Yes, it was gallopin' down Ludgate Hill, wasn't it?"

"Ay; the engine went over a barrow, and the jolt threw him off, and
before he got up it was on him. By good fortune it did not go over him;
it only bruised his back; but it's worse than we thought it would be, I
fear."

"Ah! one never knows," said Forest gravely. "There's one man Jackson,
now, only two weeks ago he was up in a third floor in Lambeth, and had
brought down two women and a child, and was in the back-rooms groping
for more, when the floor above gave way and came down on him. We all
thought he was done for, but some of the beams had got jammed, and not
five minutes after he steps out of a window all right--only a scratch or
two, not worth mentioning; yet that same man fell down a flight of
stairs at the same fire, with a boy on his shoulder, and sprained his
ankle so bad that he's bin laid up for three weeks; but he saved the
boy."

"Ah! it was worth the sprain," said Frank.

"It was," responded Forest.

"Well, good-night," said Frank, resuming his walk.

Samuel Forest responded "good-night," and then, getting into his box,
sat down on its little seat, which was warrante