"What is? You don't mean the fire?"
He did not answer, and walked the rest of the way in silence.
It was barely eleven o'clock when they reached the Dower House. Fibo had not gone to bed. He had sent Daw to the Hall with a message to Nurse, so he was not a bit surprised to see her. Mrs. Daw and Carrie were bustling about, making up beds in the spare rooms. They soon had all four children in bed. Mrs. Daw brought them some hot milk to drink. But Dreamikins slept through it all.
Freda and Daffy soon fell asleep. Not so Edmund. He lay awake with wide-open, frightened eyes, listening to the fire-engine when it thundered past, and to the running steps and voices of the villagers, who were all roused from their sleep and eager to help up at the Hall.
When daylight came, he was at last asleep, worn out by his fears and remorse.
Directly Dreamikins was awake, and was told by Annette the events of the evening before, she ran into the room where Freda and Daffy were sleeping. They were in a big bed together.
"Oh," she cried, springing upon the bed in the greatest excitement, "why wasn't I woked? Did you really come in the middle of the night? Er might have woked me. I do hope he doesn't go back to heaven when I aren't looking at him! Do tell me all about it!"
Freda and Daffy were only half awake, but Dreamikins thumped their pillows, and almost dragged them out of bed.
"Do tell me! Were you nearly burnt to ashes? Did you jump out of the windows? Is your house all burnt up?"
Then she was told as much as her little friends knew. In the morning light, with Dreamikins' happy rosy face close to them, their misfortune did not seem so terrible as it did the night before.