Eric grasped the sleeping girl by the shoulder and shook her violently. She stirred and moaned slightly, but did not open her eyes, for the smoke had quite overpowered her. Then, in his alarm, Eric shouted loudly for assistance, which proved in a moment, to be close at hand.
"All right, sir, I don't think the fire's touched her! I'll see to her!" said a voice, and with a sensation of relief, the boy saw Gay, the coachman, who always slept in the house, pick the girl up in his arms and bear her away. Eric followed, almost choked and blinded with smoke, but with sufficient sense left in him to close the doors behind him.
The whole household had arisen by this time, including Sir Jasper, who had already sent to the village for assistance. The servants were fetching pails of water; but in a very short while no one could enter Celia's room on account of the flames, which now had spread in every direction, and everyone realized that the east wing was doomed to destruction, if not the whole building as well.
Under the housekeeper's instructions, Celia was laid on a sofa in the drawing-room, where she soon regained consciousness, and was able to ask what had happened. Mrs. Mallock told her briefly that the house was on fire; and it was not until Eric came to see how his sister was doing that she learnt that she had caused the conflagration.
"It's all your fault!" Eric cried, blurting out the exact truth in his indignation. "You sat up reading a silly novel, knocked over the candle, and set the house on fire. You might have been burnt alive. And we don't know that the whole place won't be burnt down yet. It all depends upon how long it will be before the fire engine arrives."
Willing helpers had come from the village, and water was being carried upstairs in every utensil that could be used for the purpose; but still the fire spread, though it was kept somewhat within check. A messenger had been sent to T— for the fire engine, and at last it arrived, and in a very few minutes the hose was at work upon the burning wing of the house. Fortunately there was a good supply of water, and by daybreak the fire had been extinguished; but the rooms which Mrs. Wallis and her children had occupied were completely gutted, and open to the sky.
The alarm of fire had spread far and wide so that morning found half the inhabitants of Crumleigh, and a good few from T— on the terrace outside the Moat House. Slowly, when the excitement was all over, the crowd dispersed, until only Miss Pring and the Vicar were left. Lawrence Puttenham had been amongst the number present; but he had thoughtfully returned to the Vicarage to assure the household there that no one's life was in danger; and it was not until Mr. Cole arrived home to his breakfast at eight o'clock that Mrs. Wallis learnt how the fire had commenced.
"Celia set the house on fire!" she exclaimed when she knew the facts of the case. "And but for Eric she would have been burnt alive! Oh, Celia, Celia!"
"She's a very foolish little girl, I fear, Mrs. Wallis. She sat up reading a novel, and locked her door—"
"Locked her door!" Mrs. Wallis interposed. "I never permit her to do that. Are you quite sure? Oh, what could have induced her to do it?"