inside the house a hot debate was in progress on the following day. martial law for london had been suggested. it was a chance for the handful of cranks and faddists not to be neglected. it was an interference with the liberty of the subject and all the rest of it. the debate was still on at ten o'clock when fisher came back languidly to the press gallery. at eleven one of the champion bores was still speaking. suddenly an electric thrill ran through the house.
the dreary orator paused—perhaps he was getting a little tired of himself. something dramatic had happened. there was the curious tense atmosphere that causes a tightening of the chest and a gripping of the throat before actual knowledge comes. heedless of all decorum, a member stood behind the speaker's chair, and called aloud:
the hotel cecil in flames.
"the hotel cecil is on fire!" he yelled. "the place is well ablaze!"
fisher darted from the gallery into the yard. even the prosy demosthenes collapsed in the midst of his oration, and hurried out of the house. there was no occasion to tell anybody what the magnitude of the disaster meant. everybody knew that in the face of such a disaster the fire brigade would be useless.
in the strand and along the approaches thereto, along the embankment and upon the bridges, a dense mass of humanity had gathered. they were muffled in all sorts of strange and grotesque garments, but they did not seem to heed the piercing cold.
in the strand it was as light as day. a huge column of red and white flame shot far into the sky, the steady roar of the blaze was like surf on a stony beach. there was a constant crackle like musketry fire.
the magnificent hotel, one of the boldest and most prominent features of the strand and the thames embankment, was absolutely doomed. now and then the great showers of falling sparks would flutter and catch some adjacent woodwork but all the roofs around were covered with firemen who beat out the flames at once. tons of snow were conveyed up the fire escapes and by means of hastily rigged up pullies, so that gradually the adjacent buildings became moist and cool. but for this merciful presence of the snow, the south side of the strand from wellington street to charing cross might have passed into history.
as it was now, unless something utterly unforeseen occurred, the great calamity had been averted. there was still much for the firemen to do.
"let's get back to the office," fisher said, with chattering teeth. "i would sell my kingdom for a little hot brandy. i hope the next blizzard we get we shall be more prepared for. i suppose that out in the states they would make nothing of this. and we haven't got a single snow plough worthy of the name this side of edinburgh."
"we are ready for nothing," gough grumbled. "if there had been a wind to-night, nothing could have saved the strand. the disaster may occur again; indeed, there is certain to be a fire, half-a-dozen fires, before daybreak. given a good stiff breeze and where would london be? it makes one giddy to think of it."
gough said nothing. it was too cold even to think. gradually the two of them thawed out before the office fire. a languid sub came in with a pile of flimsies. quite as languidly gough turned them over. his eyes gleamed.
"my word," he gasped. "i hope this is true. they've had two days' deluge in new york. we are to keep our eyes open for strong westerly gales with a deep depression——"
for the next two hours fisher bent over his desk. the room seemed warmer. perhaps it was the brandy. he took off his sheepskin and then his overcoat below. presently a little bead of moisture grew on his forehead. he drew a little further from the fire. he felt stifling and faint, a desire for air came over him.
a little doubtful of his own condition he almost shamefacedly opened the window. the air was cold and fresh and revived him, but it was not the steely, polished, murderous air of the last few days. somebody passing over the snow below slipped along with a peculiar soaking soddened sound.
fisher craned his head out of the window. something moist fell on the nape of his neck. he yelled for gough almost hysterically. gough also was devoid of his overcoat.
"i thought it was fancy," he said unsteadily.
fisher answered nothing. the strain was released, he breathed freely. and outside the whole, white, silent world was dripping, dripping, dripping——
(next month mr. white will tell the story of the "four days' night." he will depict london under the pall of a frightful fog. it is another of the dangers that at any time might come upon london.)
