‘What do you want?’

‘You know—­I’ve told you the truth—­’

His grasp hurt her; she tried to release herself, and moved backwards.  For a moment Cobb left her free; she moved backward again, her eyes drawing him on.  She felt her power, and could not be content with thus much exercise of it.

‘You may go if you like.  But you understand, if you do—­’

Cobb, inflamed with desire and jealousy, made an effort to recapture her.  Louise sprang away from him; but immediately behind her lay the foolish little chair which he had kicked over, and just beyond that stood the scarcely less foolish little table which supported the heavy lamp, with its bowl of coloured glass and its spreading yellow shade.  She tottered back, fell with all her weight against the table, and brought the lamp crashing to the floor.  A shriek of terror from Louise, from her lover a shout of alarm, blended with the sound of breaking glass.  In an instant a great flame shot up half way to the ceiling.  The lamp-shade was ablaze; the much-embroidered screen, Mrs. Mumford’s wedding present, forthwith caught fire from a burning tongue that ran along the carpet; and Louise’s dress, well sprinkled with paraffin, aided the conflagration.  Cobb, of course, saw only the danger to the girl.  He seized the woollen hearthrug and tried to wrap it about her; but with screams of pain and frantic struggles, Louise did her best to thwart his purpose.

The window was open, and now a servant, rushing in to see what the uproar meant, gave the blaze every benefit of draught.

‘Bring water!’ roared Cobb, who had just succeeded in extinguishing Louise’s dress, and was carrying her, still despite her struggles, out of the room.  ’Here, one of you take Miss Derrick to the next house.  Bring water, you!’

All three servants were scampering and screeching about the hall.  Cobb caught hold of one of them and all but twisted her arm out of its socket.  At his fierce command, the woman supported Louise into the garden, and thence, after a minute or two of faintness on the sufferer’s part, led her to the gate of the neighbouring house.  The people who lived there chanced to be taking the air on their front lawn.  Without delay, Louise was conveyed beneath the roof, and her host, a man of energy, sped towards the fire to be of what assistance he could.

The lamp-shade, the screen, the little table and the diminutive chair blazed gallantly, and with such a volleying of poisonous fumes that Cobb could scarce hold his ground to do battle.  Louise out of the way, he at once became cool and resourceful.  Before a flame could reach the window he had rent down the flimsy curtains and flung them outside.  Bellowing for the water which was so long in coming, he used the hearthrug to some purpose on the outskirts of the bonfire, but had to keep falling back for fresh air.  Then appeared a pail and a can, which he emptied effectively, and next moment sounded the voice of the gentleman from next door.