Ida went upstairs to get on her hat at once, because it was so late, and Bessie went with her.

Ellis and Vandover laughed as soon as they saw each other, and Ellis exclaimed mockingly, “Ye-e-ow, thash jush way I feel.”  Vandover grinned: 

“That’s so,” he answered.  “I do remember now of having made that remark several times.  But you—­oh, you were fearful.  Do you remember the row in the Luxembourg?  Look there where you bit me.”

Ellis was incensed with Geary because he had forsaken their party.

“Oh, that’s Charlie Geary, all over,” answered Vandover.

As they were speaking there came a sudden outburst of bells in various parts of the city and simultaneously they heard the hoarse croaking of a whistle down by the waterfront.

“Fire,” said Vandover indifferently.

Ellis was already fumbling in his pockets, keeping count of the strokes.

“That’s one,” he exclaimed, pulling out and studying his list of alarm-boxes, “and one-two-three, that’s three and one-two-three-four, one thirty-four.  Let’s see now!  That’s Bush and Hyde streets, not very far off,” and he returned his card to the inside pocket of his coat as though he had accomplished a duty.

He lit a cigar.  “I wonder now,” he said, hesitating.  “I guess I better not smoke in here.  I’ll go outside and get a mouthful of smoke before the girls come down.”  He went out and Vandover sat down to the cheap piano and played his three inevitable pieces, the two polkas and the air of the topical song; but he was interrupted by Ellis, who opened the door, crying out: 

“Oh, come out here and see the fire, will you?  Devil of a blaze!” Vandover ran out and saw a great fan-shaped haze of red through the fog over the roofs of the houses.

“Oh, say, girls,” he shouted, jumping back to the foot of the stairs; “Ida, Bessie, there’s a fire.  Just look out of your windows.  Hark, there go the engines.”

Bessie came tearing down the stairs and out on the front steps, where the two fellows were standing hatless.

“Where?  Oh, show me where!  O-o-oh, sure enough!  That’s a big fire.  Just hear the engines. Oh, let’s go!”

“Sure; come on, let’s go!” exclaimed Vandover.  “Tell Ida to hurry up.”

“Oh, Ida,” cried Bessie up the stairs, “there’s an awful big fire right near here, and we’re going.”

“Oh, wait!” shouted Ida, her mouth full of pins.  “I had to change my waist.  Oh, do wait for me.  Where is it at?  Please wait; I’m coming right down in just a minute.”

“Hurry up, hurry up!” cried Vandover.  “It will be all out by the time we get there.  I’m coming up to help.”

“No, no, no!” she screamed.  “Don’t; you rattle me.  I’m all mixed up.  Oh, darn it, I can’t find my czarina!”