ith
fear, unable to attend to the directions which were given them, or
perhaps unable to hear them, for the fire was roaring and crackling
enough to deafen any one. Three brave men of the fire-brigade went with
a ladder round to the back of the house, while the engines kept the fire
somewhat down by constantly playing on the front, as far as the confined
space would allow of their doing so. In reality, I suppose, not many
minutes elapsed from the time that the firemen had carried round the
ladder till one of them appeared at the window where the women and
children stood: to me it seemed an age; and what must it not have
appeared to the poor sufferers themselves? As the man came forward and
joined the group, and the flame lighted up his tall, strong figure, a
deafening shout from the crowd hailed his appearance, and encouraged him
to his perilous task. It seemed at first as if the woman were too
stupified to understand what he said to her, for we saw him put a child
into her arms, and then push her from the window. He himself managed to
carry two little ones, and to send a boy and girl of some ten and twelve
years of age after their mother. Then we lost sight of them all, and
there was another interval of terrible suspense, when a shout from the
crowd which had collected at the back of the house announced that
something important had taken place there. In a few minutes we learned
that, by the help of the other two firemen, who had also mounted the
ladder and made their way into the house, the poor woman and all her
children had been saved.

With a thankful and relieved heart I made my way home, determined on the
morrow to seek out these poor sufferers for another's sin, and to see
what assistance could be afforded them; I felt sure they would stand in
no need of further help that night. There is often a princely generosity
among the poor towards their still poorer brethren; and I was confident
that many a kind-hearted man and motherly woman would willingly forego a
night's rest and comfort, if, by so doing, they could afford a shelter
to these poor houseless ones. Nor was my confidence misplaced, for, on
going to inquire after the family on the following day, I found that
they had been well looked after and taken care of. It was now, however,
that their real difficulties were to begin. The poor widow, whose name
was Martin, had lost her little all--her scanty furniture, the decent
clothing which it had cost her many a ha