Fighting the Flames, Robert Michael Ballantyne [ebook audio reader .txt] 📗

Willie did with much gusto; looking at Miss Deemas all the time, and speaking in a very positive tone, as if he thought she was doubting every word he said, and was resolved to hurl it in her teeth, whether she chose to believe it or not.

"Capital!" exclaimed Mr Tippet, laughing heartily, when Willie had concluded; "what an energetic old lady she must be! Really, I must get introduced to her, and show her the self-acting fire-extinguisher I have just invented. You remember it, Willie?" Willie nodded. "I've laid it aside for some time; but it is very nearly complete now. A little more work on it will finish it. My only difficulty in regard to it is, madam," he addressed himself to Miss Deemas here, "that it is apt to burst, and I am uncertain whether or not to add a safety-valve to prevent such a catastrophe, or to make the metal so very strong, that nothing short of gunpowder would burst it; but then, you see, that would make the whole affair too heavy. However, these are only minor difficulties of detail, which a little thought will overcome."

Miss Deemas received all this with a sinister smile, and replied with the single word, "Oh!" after which she turned immediately to Miss Tippet, and remarked that the weather had been unusually warm of late for the season of the year, which remark so exasperated Willie Willders that he turned with a face of crimson to Emma, and asked her if she didn't feel a draught of cold air coming over her from somewhere, and whether she would not sit nearer the fire, and farther away from the window!

Willie meant this for an uncommonly severe cut; for Miss Deemas sat at the end of the sofa, near the window!

Fortunately, at this point, Matty Merryon ushered in Loo Auberly, who was instantly enfolded in Miss Tippet's arms, and thence transferred to Emma's, in which she was led to the sofa, and gently deposited in the softest corner.

"Darling Loo!" exclaimed Miss Tippet, with tears in her eyes; "you look _so_ thin and pale."

There could be no doubt on that point. Little Loo, as Emma styled her, was worn to a shadow by sickness, which had hitherto baffled the doctor's skill. But she was a beautiful shadow; such a sweet, gentle shadow, that one might feel thankful, rather than otherwise, to be haunted by it.

"Pray don't mind me; I'm too tired to speak to you yet; just go on talking. I like to listen," said Loo softly.

With ready kindness, Miss Tippet at once sought to draw attention from the child, by reverting to Mrs Denman; and Matty created a little opportune confusion by stumbling into the room with the tea.

Matty usually tripped over the carpet at the door, and never seemed to become wiser from experience.

"Poor Mrs Denman," said Miss Tippet, pouring out the tea; "it must have been an awful shock; think of a (Sugar, brother? I always forget), what was I--oh, yes; think of a fireman seizing one round the (Cream, Willie? I know you have a sweet tooth, so I don't need to ask if you take sugar)--yes, he carried her down that dreadful what-d'ye-call-it, and into the next house with nothing (A little more sugar, Julia? No? )-- nothing on but her what's-'is-name. Oh! it was sad; sad to lose all her fine things, too--her furniture, and--and thingumies. Do try a piece of cake, brother."

"I know a worse case than hers," said Willie, with a knowing look.

"Do you?" exclaimed Miss Tippet.

"Oh! do tell it," cried Emma earnestly; "he's just been telling it to me, and it is _so_ sad and interesting."

"Come, let's hear about it, lad," said Mr Tippet.

Thus encouraged, Willie related his adventure with the clown's family, and told his tale with such genuine feeling, that Miss Tippet, Loo, and Emma found their eyes moist when he had concluded.

There was a good deal of comment upon this subject, and Miss Deemas animadverted very strongly upon actors in general and clowns in particular. As to ballet-girls, she could not find words to express her contempt for them; but in reference to this Miss Tippet ventured to rebuke her friend, and to say that although she could not and would not defend the position of these unfortunates, yet she felt that they were very much to be pitied, seeing that they were in many cases trained to their peculiarly indelicate life by their parents, and had been taught to regard ballet-dancing as quite a proper and legitimate what's-its-name. No doubt this was only a palliation of the life they led, but she thought that if anyone was to be severely blamed in the matter it was the people who went to witness and encourage such wicked displays.

Miss Deemas dissented generally from all her friend's observations, and, wishing to change the subject, asked Loo if her father was coming to fetch her home.

"No," said Loo; "dear papa is not well to-night, but he is to send the carriage for me. Oh, I wish," she continued, reverting to the previous subject, "I _wish_ I could do something for these poor people. I'm so very, very sorry for the fairy."

"So you can, if you choose," said Miss Deemas sharply.

"No, indeed I cannot," replied Loo in an earnest voice; "I'm too ill and weak now to be of any use to anyone. Once I was useful to dear papa, but ever since the fire I have not been of use to anybody; only a hindrance to them. Since I have been ill I have thought much more about what I read in the Bible, and I've had a great desire to do good in some way or other, but how can I--so weak and helpless?"

Loo almost sobbed, for her sympathies had been awakened by Willie, and a chord had been touched which had been vibrating in her breast for some weeks past.

"Your father is rich, is he not?" asked the Eagle.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Well, a word to him may be the cause of much good, in the shape of money at least, to people in distress; but rich people don't always like to spend their money in that way."

Loo hung down her head and made no reply, for she knew that her father did not like to part with money. She had often heard him refuse to do so in days gone by, even when very pathetic appeals (as she thought) were made to him; and experience told her that it was in vain to look for help in that quarter.

The party was now increased by the arrival of Frederick Auberly, who at once infused life into everybody, except Miss Deemas, who had life enough of her own, and would by no means accept the loan of any from anyone else. Fred therefore ignored her altogether, and told stories and cracked jokes and sang songs as if no such female iceberg were present.

Poor Loo was overjoyed to see him, and laying her head on his breast, bade him speak away and not ask questions; only speak, and allow her to listen and rest.

Fred obeyed, and at once began an earnest discussion with Willie as to the best method of getting a stout gentleman out of a third-floor window in case of fire, when Matty Merryon entered with a flushed face and said that a fireman who would not give his name wished to see Willie Willders for a minute; and she was inclined to think it was his brother.

"What! Frank?" exclaimed Willie, rising to go downstairs.

"Stay, Willie," cried Miss Tippet eagerly; "don't go down. Pray let me have him up; I should so like to see him, and I'm sure so would Loo; the man, you know, who went up the what's-its-name, and brought you--yes, send him up, Matty."

"Plaze, mim, he won't come," replied the girl, "I know'd ye would like to see him, an' axed him in."

"Tell him," said Miss Tippet, "that I request it as a favour."

While Matty was delivering this message, the Eagle took occasion to sniff once or twice in a contemptuous manner, and wondered why people worshipped men just because they happened to be big, and what they called handsome. For her part, she hated all men, but if she were to be obliged to choose between any class (which she was thankful to say was _not_ necessary in her case), she would certainly give the preference to ugly men and small.

Willie Willders nodded his head approvingly, and, being exasperated into a savage serio-comic condition, as well by the Eagle's voice and aspect as by her sentiments, he said that she was quite right, and that if _he_ were a lady like her he would hold the same opinions, because then, said he, "being stout, I could wallop my husband an' keep him down, an' the contrast of his ugly face with mine would not be so obvious."

Frank's step on the stair fortunately prevented this open and desperate attack being noticed. Next moment all turned their eyes in breathless expectation towards the door.

Being on duty, Frank appeared in fireman's costume, with the sailor-like undress cap in his hand. He bowed to the company, and apologised to Miss Tippet for intruding, but he had wished to ask his brother Willie to call at the fire station on his way home to convey a letter to his mother, and merely meant to see him at the door.

"I'm _very_ glad you came, Mr Willders," said Miss Tippet, "for I assure you we all regard you as the preserver of our dear Miss Auberly's life when you went up the--the--thing. Here she is. You must shake-- that's it--so nice!"

The last part of Miss Tippet's remark referred to Loo stretching out her hand to Frank, who advanced promptly and shook it with great tenderness. He then shook hands with Fred, who expressed his regard for him in warm terms; also with Mr Tippet, who paid him some enthusiastic compliments, and said something to the effect that the parent stem from which two such branches as he and Willie had grown must be a prime plant.

As he turned from Mr Tippet--who, being very short, appeared to be looking up at a steeple while he delivered this opinion--Frank's eyes encountered those of Emma Ward, who was gazing at him in such undisguised admiration, that, being a somewhat bashful man, he felt a little confused, and dropped his eyes, figuratively, on the floor. Emma blushed scarlet with shame at being caught in this way, and thereafter became rigidly grave and indifferent.

When Frank again raised his eyes--which, by the way, he did immediately--they encountered the eagle glance of Miss Deemas frowning defiance on him, as being a sort of type or pattern specimen of his highly objectionable race. Had Miss Deemas been a man (which would have gratified her more than she could have expressed) Frank could have met the frown with a smile of pity. As it was, he turned to the little eager countenance of Miss Tippet, and felt deeper respect than ever for the sex; thus showing that just as an exception proves a rule, so an unfavourable contrast strengthens a cause.

"Pray sit down, Mr Willders," entreated Miss Tippet earnestly; "I should like _so_ much to hear how you did it from