!" or, "Go it, ye cripples!" according to the different stages
of inebriation at which they had arrived; and belated men of business
stopped to gaze, and then resumed their way with thoughts and
speculations on fire and fire insurance, more or less deep and serious
according to temperament. But the disturbance was only temporary. The
families retired to their suppers or beds, the tipplers returned to
their tipple, the belated speculators to their dreams, and in a few
minutes (no doubt) forgot what they had seen, and forgot; perchance,
that they had any personal interest in fire raising, or fire extinction,
or fire prevention, or fire in any dangerous shape or form whatever, or
indulged in the comforting belief, mayhap, that whatever disasters might
attend the rest of the London community, they and their houses being
endued with the properties of the salamander, nothing in the shape of
fire might, could, would, or should kindle upon them. So true is it
that, "all men think all men mortal but themselves!"

Do you doubt this, reader? If so, go poll your acquaintance, and tell
us how many of them have got rope-ladders, or even ropes, to escape from
their houses should they take fire; how many of them have got
hand-pumps, or even buckets, placed so as to be handy in case of fire;
and how many of them have got their houses and furniture insured against
fire.

Meanwhile, the fire-engine held on its way, until it turned into Beverly
Square, and pulled short up in front of the blazing mansion of James
Auberly, Esquire.

Another engine was already at work there. It had come from a nearer
station, of the existence of which Hopkins had been ignorant when he set
out on his wild race for help. The men of this engine were already
doing their work quietly, but with perceptible effect, pouring incessant
streams of water in at the blazing windows, and watching for the
slightest lull in the ferocity of the smoke and flame to attack the
enemy at closer quarters.

CHAPTER FOUR.

A FIERCE FIGHT WITH THE FLAMES.

When the small boy--whose name, it may be as well to mention, was
William (_alias_ Willie) Willders--saw the fire-engine start, as has
been already described, his whole soul yearned to follow it, for, in the
course of his short life, he had never succeeded in being at the
beginning of a fire, although he had often been at the middle and end of
one--not a very difficult thing in London, by the way, seeing that there