and female figures moving along it; but although they stood out in bright relief, emblazoned by the fire in front, and having a dark cloud of smoke behind them, he could not recognize any of the party. Had either Constantia or Julia been of the number he thought he must have identified them; but his anxiety could not be appeased with any thing less than a certainty that they were not likely to be exposed to danger. Late as was the hour, he thought the offer of his services in such a critical emergency, might justify a visit, even at midnight, and he accordingly knocked at the door; a summons which he was obliged to repeat with increased energy, before it was noticed. When it was at length opened, he was informed that the Alderman and his family were at his country-house, the figures whom he had seen on the roof being only the servants: Constantia, he was given to understand, was still visiting the family: but as to Miss Strickland, the servant declared that he knew no such person, and had never even heard the name.

Relieved from his immediate apprehensions by this intelligence, although the statement relative to Julia had thrown a considerable damp upon his hopes, he prepared to return to Whitehall, hoping by making a circuit, to avoid the conflagration, and reach his home without obstruction. His ignorance of the city, however, occasioned him to emerge opposite to St. Paul's Cathedral, which at that moment resembled a stupendous volcano or mountain of fire, the flames uniting above it in a blazing pyramid that threatened to extend the conflagration to the sky itself, the stones flying like grenadoes, the melted lead running down the streets in a stream, and the very pavements glowing with fiery redness, so as to scorch the feet of all who approached. From this dangerous position he retreated with all speed, and making his way to Holborn, succeeded at last in reaching Whitehall, completely exhausted with his wanderings, and both agitated and saddened in mind by the appalling spectacles he had been witnessing.

At an early hour on the following morning, Jocelyn, who had been prevented from sleeping by the noise of explosions, the rumbling of carts carrying away goods to the country, and the general disturbance of the neighbourhood, arose and hastily dressed himfelf to accompany the King and the Duke of York, who were going into the City with a detachment of the guards, to give orders about blowing up houses in different directions, so as to check the progress of the devouring element. For this purpose, he provided himself with a horse, and the cavalcade set forward at a brisk pace towards the City. As they advanced, he observed over the burning town a floating mass of dark smoke, calculated to exceed fifty miles in length, which, passing athwart the sun's disk, hung suspended in the air like an ominous and dismal banner: nor were there wanting weak and credulous persons to declare, as it was occasionally agitated by the wind, that they saw a hand coming out from the sky, to shake and wave it as a sign of

heavenly wrath. The strong eastern wind still continuing to drive the fiery torrent westward, many of the inhabitants about Temple-Bar were already beginning to remove their goods, one of whom had deposited before his house a considerable quantity of loose straw, to be used in packing his furniture. A burning flake from the Cathedral of St. Paul's falling among the heap, presently set it in a blaze, and the noise and confusion of the accident occasioning the servant at the next dwelling to open the street door, a sudden blast of wind carried the whole ignited mass into the hall, and the house was almost instantly enveloped in flames. The servant was probably suffocated by the smoke in the first instance, for he appeared no more; but in a few moments an elegantly-dressed female. was seen in one of the upper balconies, whence, after casting a terrified look at the flames bursting from the window beneath, she again rushed back into the house, as if to seek some other method of escape.

stances.

After a little delay, some of the neighbours procured a ladder and placed it against the wall, when one of them ventured up to the rescue of the unfortunate lady, but the summit of a stack of chimneys falling over at the time, dashed him to the ground, sorely maimed and disabled; and as the remainder of the pile was tottering and threatening every moment to come down, no second adventurer could be found to trust himself to the ladder under such perilous circumJust at this juncture, the royal cavalcade reached the spot, and at the same instant the lady rushed forwards, into the balcony, uttered a cry of dismay, and sank down, either overcome by her terrors, or rendered helpless and dizzy by the smoke. Momentary as was the glance that the King obtained of her face, he saw that she was beautiful, a circumstance which would at any time have interested him in her fate, and which in the present imminence of her danger, excited his sympathy in the most intense degree." Save the lady in the blue and