he rushed
frantically to the door, but owing to Peter's forethought she was
locked in. In vain she hammered and shrieked; no one heeded her. Such
labourers as remained on the premises at night slept over the stables;
the two maid-servants whom Peter employed only came by day. If Judy
heard, she had not the sense to heed; and old Peter himself, snuggling
into his pillows, merely turned over when the din reached his ears,
muttering to himself with righteous indignation that a body would
think the girl would know better nor behave that way, but let her
shout as much as she liked an' tire herself out, she'd be apt to be a
bit quieter in the mornin'. Meanwhile the little flame, which Roseen
had first seen, had grown apace. The slight crackling sound which had
originally accompanied its progress, was replaced by a sullen roar;
volumes of ruddy smoke filled the air; a pungent, peculiar smell
penetrated even to Roseen's room, almost suffocating her. Would no one
hear, would no one heed? Taking the poker she knocked on the floor,
hoping to produce some response from her grandfather, but finding that
he did not answer she fell to hammering and battering the lock of her
door with such vigour and good-will that at last she succeeded in
breaking it. Rushing down stairs, candle in hand, she burst in upon
old Peter.

"Get up, grandfather, get up at wanst! the big rick is on fire, and
will be burnt to a cinder if you don't make haste." Old Peter sat up,
blinking at the light, and at first refusing to believe Roseen; but
when the girl flung open the window and he saw and heard for himself
that the alarm was only too well founded, he fairly burst out crying
like a child.

"Me rick, me beautiful rick! I'm ruined and destroyed entirely!
What'll I do at all?"

"Get up!" said Roseen sharply, "and let's get all the help we can.
I'll run out an' call Jack an' Barney, an' do you put on your clothes
an' fill the stable bucket."

She flew out, and after some trouble succeeded in rousing the men in
question, who, however, when they arrived on the scene and saw the
extent of the damage which had already been done, gave her little hope
of being able to arrest its progress.

"Sure it's all wan sheet of flame, none of us could get near it,"
cried one, pointing to the rick. "What good would a bucket or two of
wather do on that?"

"Well, do something can't yez?" cried Roseen. "There's no good in
standin' there, lookin' at it. I'll run off an' f