*CHAPTER XXX.*
*A FIERY ORDEAL.*
Toney was usually an excellent sleeper and it took a good deal to wakeher before morning, and she had gone through much in the lasttwenty-four hours. The brain, however, can be powerfully impressed bysmell, and this must have been the reason why at two o'clock she heard asoft whine close to her ear, then a short, sharp bark, and then Toneystarted up in bed, fully awake. Next she gave a sniff and then thestrong clear mind went straight to the mark.
"Powder me pink!" she exclaimed, then she jumped out of bed and dressedquicker than she had ever done in her life before. Her garments werefew and substantial, and she drew on a skirt and a flannel blouse. Nextshe seized a big bath towel and soaked it in her hip bath.
"It's shorter in the long run," she thought, then she cautiously openedthe door of her small room at the top of the house. The passage hadsmoke in it too, thicker smoke than in her room. For half a second shepaused to think as she snatched up Trick in her arms. "Maids uphere--the men in the other wing--bother, the telephone is down in myroom--worse luck!" Then she dashed along the passage to the maids'rooms, opening each door as she passed, and shouting, "Get up! Fire!Quick!" At the end of the passage the cook opened the door, she wasdressed, having also been awakened by the smell of smoke.
"Oh, Miss Tonia! It's fire--God have mercy on us!"
"All right, ring a bell out of the window, the men in the other wingwill hear it. Shout Fire!--and, look here, tell the maids to dressfirst, it's safer in the end."
The elderly cook felt that Miss Tonia was right, her words acted like astrong restorative and brought back her presence of mind as thehalf-dressed maids crowded into the passage.
"Dress all of you girls, thick jackets, it's cold; we are safe atpresent." Toney paused.
"Yes, all safe at present, take wet towels with you. I'm afraid it's onthe first floor, and these stairs don't look inviting!"
A volume of smoke rolled up now, and for a moment hid them from eachother. Toney wrapped her wet towel round her head and shoulders andonce more called out,
"Keep together--shout loud--try the other stairs, not these. I'll goand explore, but you had better not. Try the leads, you'll be saferthere. Good-bye!"
"Miss Tonia! for God's sake don't go down those stairs, it's madness,stay here," cried the cook.
"I can't, Aunt Dove and Miss Grossman, but look here, Rose, take Trickand hold him tight, he will want to follow me and I must have my twohands," then suddenly Toney disappeared in another volume of smoke. Themaids shrieked and wrung their hands, but the cook had happily regainedher senses.
"Girls! follow me, the other stairs may be safe."
Clinging to each other they ran down the long passage, but at the otherend they found quite as much smoke, for the narrow stairs seemed to actlike two funnels.
"Let's go down, oh, let's go down!" cried the maids, "we must go beforeit's too late!"
"Miss Tonia said, 'the leads'--I think, girls, she's right. We can callfor help from there. We might be suffocated in this smoke. Make forthe trap-door on to the leads," and soon they were breathing pure airand exercising their lungs with screams. To their delight they saw thatmen were already running about below and were signalling to them thathelp was coming.
We must follow Toney on her dangerous exploration. She had one idea inher mind. The fire must have begun in her Aunt Dove's room or else inMiss Grossman's, a few doors off, or else in some flue close by. Thedense smoke pointed unmistakably to this. Had they escaped? Theirrooms were at the end of a passage, and they must go down it to reachthe central staircase. The stairs down which she now forced her waywere rather steep, and ended at the opposite end of the Hall to wherewas her aunt's passage, but Toney knew every step by heart. It wasimpossible to see even if there had been any light, the smoke was toothick. Should she meet the fire face to face and be driven back? Evenhere she felt the stairs were hot and the smoke was terrible. When shereached the bottom, however, she paused; by some strange freak for a fewmoments the smoke cleared, and she could breathe again! Oh, the relief!but this was only for a moment. She had to keep her mind clear;wrapping her wet towel still closer to her head, she made a dash alongthe central passage. Toney realised that this was passable, but densesmoke came rolling towards her from her aunt's passage. Oh, how couldshe pass it? She must, she must go on, for no one answered hersmothered cry of "Aunt Dove! Aunt Dove! Miss Grossman!"
Again she paused to take what breath she could. Her eyes tingled, shefelt choked, but as yet she saw no fire.
"I must, I must," she repeated and strangely enough came the words toher mind, "the Path of Perfection." Was this the Path? If only AuntDove were not locked in! If only Uncle Evas had been here! if only--"Now," she thought, feeling the towel was getting dry and smoke-laden,"Now!"
Never had Toney made such a desperate dart down the passage. Oh, theheat! and the roaring and the smoke!--the smoke, that was the mostterrible part of it! She hurled herself, blindfolded as she was,against the door and it gave way, but how the smoke rolled in with her!So immediately she shut the door, then she loosed the towel and calledout.
"Aunt Dove, Aunt Dove! where are you? Speak, I can't see, Aunt Dove!"
"Help! help!" was the feeble smothered answer, but it was MissGrossman's voice.
"Where? where?" She stumbled forwards across the big room and knockedagainst the bath filled with water. She stooped down and dashed herhead in it, towel and all. What a relief she felt as she staggeredforwards.
"Miss Grossman, where is Aunt Dove? Where are you?"
"In the wardrobe--we are suffocated! Help! help!"
"Come out quick." Toney seized another towel and dipped it in the bath."We can still cross--at least I think so."
The big wardrobe opened, and as Miss Grossman crawled out Toney threwthe wet towel over her; then Lady Dove emerged speechless from fear andsmoke.
"Miss Grossman, why didn't you go down? I, think we can still do it."
"I ran in here, and then--Lady Dove would not follow me. Oh, thesmoke--the window--open the window!"
"No, no, not yet, the draught--quick, oh, quick--Aunt Dove, take my arm.You have only your dressing-gown--take a blanket--Miss Grossman, runfast, we will follow." Miss Grossman was feeling the relief of the wettowel, she made a dash towards the door.
"Quick! Aunt Dove, follow me--I'll drag you, we have only just time."
"I can't, Antonia--don't leave me--oh, I can't breathe!"
"You must, you must." Toney dragged her a few steps, but fear hadparalyzed her; at this moment Miss Grossman had reached the door andrealised the danger of opening it more than once. A dull roar washeard.
"Are you coming? For God's sake, I cannot go alone----"
"Go," cried Toney, "you have time--I think. Aunt Dove, come, for UncleEvas' sake come--pull yourself together. In a minute we----"
The door was opened by Miss Grossman, whose muffled voice again calledout, "Come, come," then she shut it again, and Toney was left alone withher aunt. A terrible column of smoke had rolled in, and she noticedthat one tongue of fire tried to pierce the smoke in the big chamber.
"Toney, I can't--I can't walk. Don't leave me--air--air--open thewindow!"
"Yes, it's too late for the door, Aunt Dove, we must come back--I'llopen the window and call. Oh! they must be trying to save us now--don'tleave go--stick tight to me: they will hear us." Toney felt a terribleweight on her; would her aunt give in? Here was one of the windows, thered curtain drawn across it, she pulled it back, a sofa was against it,she managed with superhuman effort to get her aunt on it, but it wasterribly difficult.
"Aunt Dove, I'll open now or we shall be suffocated--only--there isdanger--the draught--you know! I'll not leave you. Hold my jacketwhilst I open." The window was locked, she could not find the bolt withthat weight impeding her, she wrapped her hand round the towel andsmashed the glass. Oh, the relief
of the air! all danger seemed for amoment swallowed up in that relief. She was even able to unbolt thelatch and pull up the sash.
"Help! help! Jim, ladders--help!" She saw a crowd below, some holdinglanterns, some torches. She heard a fire engine gallop up, she even sawa shoot. "Here! here!" she called. Were they saved?
"Aunt Dove, they are coming. Put your head out of the window!" Toneysaid this because the roar behind them was increasing. She saw thetongue of fire very plainly now. Was there time? The engine was there.A great jet of water was playing on them, no, above them, they had notyet located the fire and it was coming, coming. Oh! the heat, theterrible heat! but now the fire escape was there, it was placed againstthe wall.
"Oh, Aunt Dove, don't give up--here they are!"
"Don't leave me! I can't move, Toney! the fire--look!"
"No, no, don't look." A ringing cheer, and a man was on the sill,having run up a ladder whilst the shoot was placed in position close tothe window.
"Quick," he said, "not a moment to waste--one at a time." Toney did nothesitate, never thought of hesitating, as she dragged her aunt up to thesill. Her powerlessness had returned. The long shoot was there, itwould have been so easy for Toney to step into it, but Aunt Dove wasutterly unnerved--no one but Toney could rouse her.
"Help her, so--Aunt Dove, you are saved, it is not difficult; you slidedown. Get in--you must--think of Uncle Evas." Lady Dove had clutchedToney so tightly that she could not, or would not, leave go. Thefireman had to wrench her hand away by main force, and precious minuteswere lost!
For God's sake--quick! It was certainly a very undignified retreat, butit was done; Lady Dove was saved!
But Toney, what of Toney? was there time? A great flare of light seemedsuddenly visible behind her. The fireman had disappeared, and Toneycould not linger another minute. She jumped on the sill and stood for afew seconds clinging to the sash above. Then she saw there was but onechance for her; she must let herself drop on to a kind of parapet below,and then clutch the iron rod that was now at her feet--if she did notmiss it! In the lurid light she was seen by everybody--there was abreathless moment, then she let go--and without once hesitating clutchedand retained the rod. A roar of admiration and horror mingled togetherwas heard; then suddenly, like a lightning flash, another form had runup the ladder, and though it was not in right position Jim stretched outboth arms and supported her, in what was an untenableposition--because--Toney's sleeve had caught fire.
"Miss Tonia, hold on one minute. Now"--with one hand he held her, withthe other he crushed the fire out, then--but for Jim there would havebeen no then, Toney could not have held on--the next instant the shootwas moved and again placed in position for Toney, and Jim strainingforward helped her to get in--alone she could not have done it.
"Miss Tonia, Miss Tonia--thank God, it's all right." Then Toney heard agreat shout, a shout that permeated everywhere, and she felt herselfsliding down, down, always down; but the truth was that for the firsttime in her life Toney had fainted, and when she came to herself she wasin the big barn where the grand supper had been served, and which wassituated on the side where the fire was not.
"Aunt Dove--and everybody?" she gasped. It was Maud who was beside her,and Dr. Latham was cutting off her sleeve and wrapping up her left armin cotton wool after having soaked it in oil.
"Oh! Toney, Toney, all are saved; you did it; is the pain very bad?"
Toney shut her eyes a moment.
"Gracious stars!--I forgot--I thought I was going down and down, and thefire was running after me! Oh, all saved! Maud! I am glad. Where'sTrick?" At this moment a poor, singed, bedraggled animal made a boundand was on Toney's couch, licking her face and half wild with joy.
"I was so afraid we should never get aunt out! Trick, Trick, you gavethe first warning; you're just a hero! Let me get up, Dr. Latham; I'mquite fit--is my study burnt?
"No, all that wing is safe; the wind carried the fire the other way, andthe engines are keeping it down. Lady Dove and Miss Grossman have beendriven to Waycott Hall; she revived wonderfully, but you were not readyto go off with them."
"The maids were saved first," added Maud; "fortunately, they were on theroof, and very visible, but till Miss Grossman appeared we could notlocate where you were. Mr. Russell has done wonders. Oh, it wasdreadful!"
Toney's colour began to return; she insisted on getting up, and Maudfetched a great ulster for her to keep her warm.
"We must telephone to Uncle Evas at once," she said; "he's at CharingCross Hotel." To herself Toney thought, "Lewis Waycott will know I didmy best before he goes." Then she shook herself to make sure her legswere her own.
"Now I must go--where's Jim? Oh, Maud, I couldn't have held on a secondlonger without him!"
The two girls went out to the front of the house. It was four o'clocknow, and a great glare and volumes of smoke made lurid light, but everynow and then the water conquered the fire. All the villagers wereworking with a will, carrying pictures and valuables to safety, and,strange to say, most ably directed by Plantagenet Russell. He seemed toforget entirely his own personality, and thought only of saving all thatwas precious in the best possible way. Every now and then a cheer washeard, when something was brought out through the danger zone. It wason this scene that Toney appeared, and again there was a shout thatdrowned all other sounds. The old men and women gathered round her, theothers were working for all they were worth.
"Miss Tonia! Miss Tonia! Thank God! thank God! You gave us such afright, that you did! when you stood up there. Jim wouldn't wait; hedid his duty, did Jim. There wasn't time to wait, though the firemansaid there was---- Here, Jim, stop a bit, and come and see Miss Tonia!"Jim, looking like a sweep, touched his hat.
"It's all right now you're safe, Miss Tonia."
"It's all owing to you, Jim; I couldn't have kept hold another minute."
"You saved her ladyship, Miss Tonia; she was sheer dazed with fright;the fireman said he couldn't have managed it himself. Her ladyship wasvery upset, and directly she heard you were safe she went off with MissGrossman. We can't think how you managed that drop, miss; none of uscould have done it!"
"I had to, Jim, the heat was so awful!"
"I came just in time," said Maud. "Oh! Toney, to see you dropping downfrom that ledge made me feel sick! I shall never forget it. If onlyLewis had been here!" Toney turned to see the men again.
"Thank you very much for helping to save uncle's things; but pleasedon't go into danger for them. Mr. Russell, how good you've been;you'll take care of the men? Now I think I'll go to Waycott Hall to seeafter Aunt Dove. Come, Maud." Doctor Latham joined her.
"There's the carriage coming back. I'll come too. You will feel yourarm pain you more later."
* * * * *
"If you please, Sir Evas Dove, you're wanted at the telephoneimmediately," said a sleepy waiter.
"Hulloa! what's up? Is it Lady Dove?--Impossible--I'll comeimmediately."
"Are you Sir Evas?"
"Yes; who is it? Ah! Russell, is it you? What's the matter?"
"Aldersfield is on fire; can you come first train? Everybody saved;Lady Dove much upset; Miss Whitburn has burnt her arm--Miss Hamiltonwants Mr. Waycott to know."
"What the Dickens are you all up to? I'll come first train; never mindif all are safe."
Sir Evas rushed to Lewis Waycott's room.
"Waycott, are you awake?"
"Yes; what's up?"
"I'm off immediately; Aldersfield is burning; Toney has been burnt."
"Toney burnt! Good heavens! I'll come with you."
"No need, only her arm; but Maud wanted you to know. Good-bye; goodluck to your hungry lions."
But Lewis did not reply, he was hurrying into his clothes with greaterrapidity than ever before, and when Sir Evas stepped into the carriagehe did not see that Lewis Waycott jumped in too, just as the train wasstarting.