Fire! Fire! by Stuart Hill Read Free Book Online Page B

the windows as though it was just another working day. My eyes filled with tears when I realized that normal things still happened, but I quickly blinked them away and told myself not to be stupid.
    There were still plenty of people crowding the streets even here, but I soon realized that rather than going south to the Thames, they must be heading north, perhaps to Bishops Gate and beyond that to where there was open ground at Moorfields. There were no houses or other buildings there, so the fire couldn’t reach them.
    I carried on walking, my earlier exhaustion forgotten as I got closer to home. I made my way along a slowly curving street until I came to the foot of Seething Lane, where Master Pepys’ house stood. I paused for a moment. With relief I saw that the fire had left the street completely untouched, but I then remembered that no one would be at home. Even so, as I’d thought earlier, perhaps people would come back at regular intervals to check that all was well, and they’d find me.
    But as I walked up the lane, I began to wonder if I was still Master Pepys’ pageboy at all. After all, I’d abandoned him and run off at a time when I was needed to help pack up the house and take everything to safety. Perhaps I’d been sacked and was now just another boy living on the streets of London. Even if my master did come back, would he just be angry and send me away?
    My steps slowed as I thought this through, but as I had nowhere else to go I eventually picked up my pace again and hurried on. Perhaps Master Pepys would forgive me and let me work in the kitchens again, even if he didn’t want me as a pageboy anymore.
    Then at long last I saw the house. It stood as it always had in a small plot of land with a low wall around it. To the side was the tiny orchard with three apple and two pear trees where I used to take Pip first thing in the morning. I was overcome with sadness as I remembered my little black and white dog and wondered where he was and if he was still alive. Then I recalled what old Mother Bellows had said about him being safe and I decided to cheer up. But not for long. As I ran my eyes over the house I noticed that all of the windows had their shutters firmly closed and the great double front door was also shut and looked as solid and as unmoveable as stone.
    Even the gates to the garden were padlocked, but it was easy to scramble over the wall and into the orchard. I found my way to the biggest apple tree and sat down staring at the house. My eyes were really heavy and I suddenly realized that I didn’t know exactly how long I’d been in the fire searching for Pip. It could have been a few hours or it could have been more than a day. Above the blazing houses the sky was black with smoke and so it was impossible to know if the day had ended and a new one had begun. I could’ve been awake for more than a day and a night!
    I lay back against the trunk of the tree and closed my eyes. I don’t know how long I slept, but I woke up just as I was dreaming that someone was wiping the soot off my face with a wet cloth. In fact the dream was so real that even as I opened my eyes I could still feel the wet cloth scrubbing at my cheek.
    I put my hands up to my wet face and felt something solid that whined and then gave a little yap.
    ....................
    I tried to focus my sleepy eyes. “PIP!” I screamed and seized the dog who began licking my face again. “PIP! You’re safe! Where have you been? Where did you get to?! I’ve been looking for you for… for… well I don’t know for how long!”
    Pip barked excitedly and then licked my face again. I laughed and hugged him close, and we were both so happy that neither of us heard the person approaching. Suddenly someone grabbed my shoulder in a strong grip and spun me round.
    I gasped and stared up into the face of… Master Pepys. His eyes bulged and his wig slipped to one side as he