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burning house.

Willie was deeply interested in this, and was endeavouring to solve
certain knotty points in his own mind, when they were suddenly solved
for him by a communicative dustman who stood in the crowd close by, and
thus expounded the matter to his inquisitive son.

"You see, Tommy, the use o' the cistern is hobvious. See, here's 'ow it
lies. If an ingin comes up an screwges its suction on to the plug, all
the other ingins as comes after it has to stan' by an' do nuffin. But
by puttin' the cistern over the plug an' lettin' it fill, another ingin
or mabbe two more, can ram in its suction and drink away till it's fit
to burst, d'ye see."

Willie drank in the information with avidity, and then turned his
attention to the front of the engine, to which several lengths of hose,
each forty feet long, had been attached. Baxmore and Corney were at the
extreme end, screwing on the "branch" or nozzle by which the stream of
water is directed, and Dale was tumbling a half-drunk and riotous navvy
head-over-heels into the crowd, in order to convince him that his
services to pump were not wanted--a sufficient number having been
procured. A couple of policemen walked this navvy quietly from the
scene, as Dale called out:

"Down with her, boys!"

"Pump away, lads!" said one of the firemen, interpreting.

The volunteers bent their backs, and the white clouds of steam that
issued from the burning house showed that the second engine was doing
its work well.

Immediately after, Dale and his men, with the exception of those
required to attend the engine and the "branch," were ordered to get out
the ladders.

He who gave this order was a tall, sinewy man, middle-aged apparently,
and of grave demeanour. His dress was similar to that of the other
firemen, but there was an air of quiet unobtrusive authority about him,
which showed that he was a leader.

"We might get on the roof now, Mr Braidwood," suggested Dale, touching
his helmet as he addressed the well-known chief of the London
Fire-Engine Establishment.

"Not yet, Dale, not yet," said Braidwood; "get inside and see if you can
touch the fire through the drawing-room floor. It's just fallen in."

Dale and his men at once entered the front door of the building,
dragging the branch and hose along with them, and were lost in smoke.

Previous to the arrival of the fire-engines, however, a scene had been
enacted which Willie Willders had not witnessed. A fire-e