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the boyā€™s head. ā€œTo help a woman in difficulties justifies aā€™most anything. Donā€™t it, Phil?ā€

Thus appealed to, Phil said that he didnā€™t know, and, what was more, he didnā€™t care.

ā€œNow donā€™t sit talkinā€™ nonsense, but sit in to tea,ā€ said Mrs Crashington.

The stout firemanā€™s natural amiability had been returning like a flood while he conversed with Fred, but this sharp summons rather checked its flow; and when he was told in an exasperating tone to hand the toast, and not look like a stuck pig, it was fairly stopped, and his spirit sank to zero.

ā€œHave you got anything to do yet?ā€ he asked of Phil Sparks, by way of cheering up a little.

ā€œNo, nothinā€™,ā€ replied Sparks; ā€œleastways nothinā€™ worth mentioninā€™.ā€

ā€œI knew his last application would fail,ā€ observed Maggie, in a quietly contemptuous tone.

His last application had been made through Nedā€™s influence and advice, and that is how she came to know it would fail.

Ned felt a rising of indignation within him which he found it difficult to choke down, because it was solely for his wifeā€™s sake that he had made any effort at all to give a helping hand to surly Phil Sparks, for whom he entertained no personal regard. But Ned managed to keep his mouth shut. Although a passionate man, he was not ill-tempered, and often suffered a great deal for the sake of peace.

ā€œLondon,ā€ growled Sparks, in a tone of sulky remonstrance, ā€œainā€™t a place for a man to git on in. If youā€™ve the luck to have friends who can help you, anā€™ are willinā€™, why itā€™s well enough; but if you havenā€™t got friends, its oā€™ no manner oā€™ use to try anything, except pocket-pickinā€™ or house-breakinā€™.ā€

ā€œCome, Phil,ā€ said Ned, laughing, as he helped himself to a huge round of buttered toast, ā€œI ā€™ope you hanā€™t made up your mind to go in for either of them professions, for they donā€™t pay. They entail hard work, small profits, anā€™ great riskā€”not to mention the dishonesty of ā€™em. But I donā€™t agree with you about London neither.ā€

ā€œYou never agree with nobody about anythink,ā€ observed Mrs Crashington, in a low tone, as if the remark were made to the teapot; but Ned heard it, and his temper was sorely tried again, for, while the remark was utterly false as regarded himself, it was particularly true as regarded his wife. However, he let it pass, and continuedā€”

ā€œYou see, Phil, London, as you know, is a big place, the population of it being equal to that of all Scotlandā€”so Iā€™m told, though it ainā€™t easy to swallow that. Now it seems to me that where thereā€™s so many people anā€™ so much doinā€™, it ought to be the very place for smart, stout fellows like you. If I was you, Iā€™dā€”ā€

ā€œYes, but you ainā€™t him,ā€ interrupted Mrs Crashington, testily, ā€œso it wonā€™t do him much good to tell what you would or wouldnā€™t do.ā€

ā€œIā€™ve heard of wives, Maggie, who sometimes tried to be agreeable,ā€ said Ned, gravely.

ā€œIf I donā€™t suit you, why did you marry me?ā€ demanded Maggie.

ā€œAh, why indeed?ā€ said Ned, with a frown. At this critical point in the conversation, little Fred, who was afraid that a storm was on the point of bursting forth, chanced to overturn his tin mug of tea. His mother was one of those obtuse women who regard an accident as a sin, to be visited by summary punishment. Her usual method of inflicting punishment was by means of an open-handed slap on the side of the head. On this occasion she dealt out the measure of justice with such good-will, that poor little Fred was sent sprawling and howling on the floor.

This was too much for Ned, who was a tender-hearted man. The blood rushed to his face; he sprang up with such violence as to overturn his chair, seized his cap, and, without uttering a word, dashed out of the room, and went downstairs three steps at a time.

What Ned meant to do, or where to go, of course no one could tell, for he had no definite intentions in his own mind, but his energies were unexpectedly directed for him. On rushing out at the street door, he found himself staggering unexpectedly in the arms of Bob Clazie.

ā€œHullo! Bob, whatā€™s up?ā€

ā€œTurn out!ā€ said Bob, as he wheeled round, and ran to the next firemanā€™s door.

Ned understood him. He ran smartly to the station, and quickly put on helmet, belt, and axe. Already the engine was out, and the horses were being harnessed. In two minutes the men were assembled and accoutred; in three they were in their placesā€”the whip cracked, and away they went.

It was a good blazing, roaring, soul-stirring fireā€”a dry-salterā€™s warehouse, with lots of inflammable materials to give it an intense heart of heat, and fanned by a pretty stiff breeze into ungovernable furyā€”yet it was as nothing to the fire that raged in Nedā€™s bosom. If he had hated his wife, or been indifferent to her, he would in all probability, like too many husbands, have sought for congenial society elsewhere, and would have been harsh to her when obliged to be at home. But Ned loved his wife, and would have made any sacrifice, if by so doing, he could have smoothed her into a more congenial spirit. When, therefore, he found that his utmost efforts were of no avail, and that he was perpetually goaded, and twitted, and tweaked for every little trifle, his spirit was set alightā€”as he at last remarked in confidence to David Clazieā€”and all the fire-engines in Europe, Asia, Africa and America couldnā€™t put it out.

The dry-salterā€™s premises seemed to have been set on fire for poor Nedā€™s special benefit that night. They suited his case exactly. There was more than the usual quantity of smoke to suffocate, and fire to roast, him. There was considerable danger too, so that the daring men of the brigade were in requestā€”if we may say that of a brigade in which all the men were daringā€”and Ned had congenial work given him to do. The proverbial meeting of Greek with Greek was mere childā€™s play to this meeting of fire with fire. The inflamed Ned and the blazing dry-salter met in mortal conflict, and the result was tremendous! It made his brother firemen stand aghast with awful admiration, to observe the way in which Ned dashed up tottering staircases, and along smoke-choked passages, where lambent flames were licking about in search of oxygen to feed on, and the way in which he hurled down brick walls and hacked through wood partitions, and tore up fir-planking and seized branch and hose, and, dragging them into hole-and-corner places, and out upon dizzy beams, and ridge poles, dashed tons of water in the fireā€™s face, until it hissed again. It was a fine example of the homoeopathic principle that ā€œlike cures like;ā€ for the fire in Nedā€™s bosom did wonders that night in the way of quenching the fire in the dry-salterā€™s warehouse.

When this had gone on for an hour, and the fire was at its height, Ned, quite exhausted, descended to the street, and, sitting down on the pavement, leaned against a rail.

ā€œIf you goes on like that, Ned,ā€ said Bob Clazie, coming up to him, ā€œyouā€™ll bust yourself.ā€

ā€œI wish I could,ā€ said Ned.

At that moment, Bobā€™s brother David came towards them with the brandy bottle.

ā€œHave a glass, Ned, you need it,ā€ said David.

Ned, although not a teetotaller, was one of the men who did not require spirits, and therefore seldom took more than a sip, but he now seized the glass, and drained it eagerly.

ā€œAnother,ā€ he cried, holding it up.

David refilled it with a look of some surprise.

Ned drained it a second time.

ā€œNow,ā€ said he, springing up, and tightening his belt, ā€œIā€™m all right, come along, Bob!ā€

With that he rushed into the burning house, and in a few seconds was seen to take the branch from a fireman on one of the upper floors, and drag it out on a charred beam that overhung the fire. The spot on which they stood was brilliantly illuminated, and it was seen that the fireman remonstrated with Ned, but the latter thrust him away, and stepped out on the beam. He stood there black as ebony, with a glowing background of red walls and fire, and the crowd cheered him for his unwonted courage; but the cheer was changed abruptly into a cry of alarm as the beam gave way, and Ned fell head foremost into the burning ruins.

The chief of the brigadeā€”distinguishable everywhere by his tall figureā€”observed the accident, and sprang towards the place.

ā€œIf heā€™s not killed by the fall, heā€™s safe from the fire, for it is burnt out there,ā€ he remarked to David Clazie, who accompanied him. Before they reached the place, Joe Dashwood and two other men had rushed in. They found Ned lying on his back in a mixture of charcoal and water, almost buried in a mass of rubbish which the falling beam had dragged down along with it. In a few seconds this was removed, and Ned was carried out and laid on the pavement, with a coat under his head.

ā€œThereā€™s no cut anywhere that I can see,ā€ said Joe Dashwood examining him.

ā€œHis fall must have been broke by goinā€™ through the lath and plaster oā€™ the ceilinā€™ below,ā€ suggested Bob Clazie.

At that moment, there was a great crash, followed by a loud cry, and a cheer from the multitude, as the roof fell in, sending up a magnificent burst of sparks and flame, in the midst of which Ned Crashington was borne from the field of battle.

While this scene was going on, Mrs Crashington and her brother were still seated quietly enjoying their teaā€”at least, enjoying it as much as such characters can be said to enjoy anything.

When Ned had gone out, as before mentioned, Phil remarked:ā€”

ā€œI wouldnā€™t rouse him like that, Mag, if I was you.ā€

ā€œBut heā€™s so aggravatinā€™,ā€ pleaded Mrs Crashington.

ā€œHe ainā€™t half so aggravatinā€™ as you are,ā€ replied Phil, gruffly. ā€œI donā€™t understand your temper at all. You take all the hard words I give you as meek as a lamb, but if he only offers to open his mouth you fly at him like a turkey-cock. However, itā€™s no business oā€™ mine, and now,ā€ he added, rising, ā€œI must be off.ā€

ā€œSo, you wonā€™t tell me before you go, what sort of employment youā€™ve got?ā€

ā€œNo,ā€ replied Phil, shortly.

ā€œWhy not, Phil?ā€

ā€œBecause I donā€™t want you to know, and I donā€™t want your husband to know.ā€

ā€œBut I wonā€™t tell him, Phil.ā€

ā€œIā€™ll take good care you canā€™t tell him,ā€ returned Phil, as he fastened a worsted comforter round his hairy throat. ā€œItā€™s enough for you to know that I ainā€™t starvinā€™ and that the work pays, though it ainā€™t likely to make my fortinā€™.ā€

Saying this, Mr Sparks condescended to give his sister a brief nod and left the house.

He had not been gone much more than a couple of hours, when Mrs Crashington, having put little Fred to sleep, was roused from a reverie by the sound of several footsteps outside, followed by a loud ring at the bell; she opened the door quickly, and her husband was borne in and laid on his bed.

ā€œNot dead?ā€ exclaimed the woman in a voice of agony.

ā€œNo, missus, not dead,ā€ said David Clazie, ā€œbut hardly better, I fear.ā€

When Maggie looked on the poor bruised form, with garments torn to shreds, and so covered with charcoal, water, lime, and blood, as to be almost an indistinguishable mass, she could not have persuaded herself that he was alive, had not a slight heaving of the broad chest told that life still remained.

ā€œItā€™s a ā€™orrible sight, that, missus,ā€ said David Clazie, with a look that seemed strangely stern.

ā€œIt isā€”oh it isā€”terrible!ā€ said Mrs Crashington, scarce able to suppress a cry.

ā€œAh, youā€™d better take a good look at it,ā€ added Clazie, ā€œfor itā€™s your own doing, missus.ā€

Maggie looked at him in surprise, but he merely

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