“This must be money,” said Judith, utterly heedless of the fearful scene occurring above, and taking up the bag and chinking it; “silver, by the sound.  Shall we make off with it?”

“No, no,” replied Chowles, “we must not run any risk for such a paltry booty.  Let us bide our time.”

At this juncture, the baker, who had disappeared for a few seconds from the window, again presented himself at it, and, with some difficulty, forced a feather bed through it, which was instantly placed by Chowles in such a position beneath, as to break the fall of the descending parties.  Tying a couple of sheets together, and fastening one end round his wife’s waist, the baker lowered her and the children to the ground.  They alighted in safety; but just as he was about to follow their example, the floor of the room gave way, and though he succeeded in springing through the window, he missed the feather bed, and broke his leg in the fall.  He was picked up by Chowles and Judith, and placed upon the bed in a state of insensibility, and was soon afterwards conveyed with his family to the house of a neighbour.

Meanwhile, the fire had spread to the houses on either side of the unfortunate man’s habitation, and both of them being built entirely of wood, they were almost instantly in flames.  The alarm too had become general; the inhabitants of the adjoining houses were filled with indescribable terror, and the narrow street was speedily crowded with persons of both sexes, who had rushed from their beds to ascertain the extent of the danger.  All was terror and confusion.  The fire-bells of Saint Margaret’s, Saint George’s, and Saint Andrew’s, in Botolph-lane, began to toll, and shouts were heard on every side, proving that the whole neighbourhood was roused.

To add to the general distress, a report was raised that a house in Fish-street-hill was on fire, and it was soon found to be true, as an immense volume of flames burst forth in that quarter.  While the rest of the spectators, distracted by this calamity, and hardly knowing what to do, hurried in the direction of the new fire, Chowles and Judith eyed each other askance, and the former whispered to his companion, “This is another piece of Hubert’s handiwork.”

The two wretches now thought it time to bestir themselves.  So much confusion prevailed, that they were wholly unobserved, and under the plea of rendering assistance, they entered houses and carried off whatever excited their cupidity, or was sufficiently portable.  No wealthy house had been attacked as yet, and therefore their spoil was but trifling.  The poor baker seemed to be the bearer of ill-luck, for he had not been many minutes in his new asylum before it likewise caught fire.  Another house, too, in Fish-street-hill, and lower down than the first, was observed to be burning, and as this was out of the current of the wind, and consequently could not have been occasioned by the showers of sparks that marked its course, a cry was instantly raised that incendiaries were abroad, and several suspicious-looking persons were seized in consequence.