Tumultuous screams greeted him from the yard. The farm-servants were rushing about wildly, the maids were wringing their hands, his sisters ran about calling his name.
The village had just awakened.... The high-road filled with people.... Water-buckets were dragged forth, and a rotten fire—engine came also rattling along.
“Where is your master?” he shouted to the servants.
“Just being carried in; he has broken his leg,” was the reply. Misfortune upon misfortune.
“Let the barn burn,” he called out to others who, losing their heads entirely, were pouring tiny buckets of water into the flames.
“Save the cattle—take care that they do not run into the flames.”
Three or four men hurried to the stables.
“You others to the house; don’t carry anything out of it.”
“Don’t carry anything out,” he repeated, tearing the objects out of the hands of some strangers who were just dragging them out of the house.
“But we want to save the things.”