“We cannot help it,” sighed the principal.  “Go up to the hall with the other girls, my dear.  Here come the firemen.  You may be hurt here.”

The galloping of horses, blowing of horns, and shouting of excited men, now became audible.  The glare of the fire could probably be seen by this time clear to Lumberton, and half the population of the suburbs on this side of the town would soon be on the scene.

Not until the firemen actually arrived did the girls in the big hall know what had happened.  There had been singing and music and a funny recitation by one girl, to while away the time until Mrs. Tellingham appeared.  Just as Ruth came in, her chum had her violin under her chin and was drawing sweet sounds from the strings, holding the other girls breathless.

But the violin music broke off suddenly and several girls uttered startled cries as the first of the fire trucks thundered past the windows.

“Oh!” shrieked somebody, “there is a fire!”

“Quite true, young ladies!” exclaimed Miss Brokaw, tartly.  “And it is not the first fire since the world began.  Ruth has just come from it.  She will tell you what it is all about.”

“Oh, Ruth!” cried Helen.  “Is it the dormitory?”

“Give her time to speak,” commanded the teacher.

“Which dormitory?” cried Heavy Stone.

“Now, be quiet—­do,” begged Ruth, stepping upon the platform, and controlling herself admirably.  “Don’t scream.  None of us can do a thing.  The firemen will do all that can be done”

“They’ll about save the cellar.  They always do,” groaned the irrepressible Heavy.

“It is our own old West Dormitory,” said Ruth, her voice shaking.  “Nothing can be taken from the rooms upstairs.  Only some of Miss Scrimp’s and Miss Picolet’s things were saved.”

“Oh, dear me!” cried Helen.  “We’re orphans then.  I’m glad I had my violin over here!”

“Is everything going to be really burned up?” demanded Heavy.  “You don’t mean that, Ruth Fielding?”

“I hope not.  But the fire has made great head-way.”

“Oh! oh! oh!” were the murmured exclamations.

“Won’t our dormitory burn, too?” demanded one of the East Dormitory girls.

But there was no danger of that.  The wisdom of erecting the two dormitories so far apart, and so far separated from the other buildings, was now apparent.  Despite the high wind that prevailed upon this evening, there was no danger of any other building around the campus being ignited.

Miss Brokaw had some difficulty in restoring order.  Several of the girls were in tears; their most valued possessions were even then, as Heavy said, “going up in smoke.”

Very soon practical arrangements for the night were under way.  Unable to do anything to help save the burning structure, Mrs. Tellingham had returned to the main building, and the maids from the kitchen were soon bringing in cots and spare mattresses and arranging them about the big hall for the use of the girls.