fat was in the fire with a vengeance. A great sheet of flame rushed out
and up. Shoeblossom leaped back with a readiness highly creditable in
one who was not a professional acrobat. The covering of the mantelpiece
caught fire. The flames went roaring up the chimney.

Drummond, cool while everything else was so hot, without a word moved
to the mantelpiece to beat out the fire with a football shirt. Bertie
was talking rapidly to himself in French. Nobody could understand what
he was saying, which was possibly fortunate.

By the time Drummond had extinguished the mantelpiece, Barry had also
done good work by knocking the fire into the grate with the poker.
M'Todd, who had been standing up till now in the far corner of the
room, gaping vaguely at things in general, now came into action.
Probably it was force of habit that suggested to him that the time had
come to upset the kettle. At any rate, upset it he did--most of it over
the glowing, blazing mass in the grate, the rest over Barry. One of the
largest and most detestable smells the study had ever had to endure
instantly assailed their nostrils. The fire in the study was out now,
but in the chimney it still blazed merrily.

"Go up on to the roof and heave water down," said Drummond, the
strategist. "You can get out from Milton's dormitory window. And take
care not to chuck it down the wrong chimney."

Barry was starting for the door to carry out these excellent
instructions, when it flew open.

"Pah! What have you boys been doing? What an abominable smell. Pah!"
said a muffled voice. It was Mr Seymour. Most of his face was concealed