CHAPTER V

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 43, 25 October 1900, Page 27

CHAPTER V

Gilbert Weston sat in his little office attached to the punting works late that night. The men were working overtime, tot he had determined that 'The Uncreated Universe should be out np\t morning, if he kept them up till dawn. In his hand he h>ld Vernaker'a letter. Somehow it affected him strangely. There wuh a solemn warning note in it which preyed on his coward maid. 'Bah I' he said at last with empty bravado, ' leave the matter in whose hands you will, friend Vernaker, your book will be issued to-morrow !' f* It was strange how tired he felt. 'Up too late the last night or two — must keep earlier hours in future.' What was he thinking about / Ah, yes, that note. 1 Hang the thing,' and he threw it carelessly aside. ' Wonder what hour that was striking in the distance. Wtrungo how far away it sounded,' and in another moment or two Gilbert Weston was fast asleep. But not for long. He awoke suddenly— a

sensation of suffocation almost stunning him. Great heavens t \\ hat had happened / The whole place wa? full of choking smoke and blinding flumes. He staggered out, almost maddened by the agonising pain in his eyes. The works were completely alightgreat masks' of printed paper Bending up foul clouds of suffocating smoke. ISot asuul to be seen, only outside he could hear clearly thumirh the roar of the flames the shout of a great multitude. ■ My God, help me ' help me !' he cried in agony. He rushed to one of the broken windows, but was driven back by the inroad of devouring flames. The stairs ! No, it was too ;f C ' v • 1 "™* h thf> y had '""appeared. Was there no help? Must he perish .' * ' Mercy ' nwy ■' orM thp wretch, and then, as he made a last tirort to reach one of the windows, a great column of black smoke hurled itself at him. It was choking him— killing him— he could not breathe. Then a strange sensation of peace stole over nim, and alter that — nothingness. * • * Next morning Thibault Vernaker was awakened by his wife earlier than usual. Her face was blanched and her hand trembled visibly as she held out a morning paper. 1 Listen to this, darling,' she said, and read as follows • ' A disastrous lire occurred in the small hours of the moraine at the printing works of Messrs. Waldron, Weston and Co. It appears that a large number of the hands were working late in order to get out a new book the first thing in the morning. Quite suddenly about one o clock, the foreman of the packing room, where moat of the work was proceeding, discovered flames issuing from the typecomposing room, beyond which ia an office used by Mr. Weston. VVork was immediately stopped and efforts made to reach Mr' \\eston, but the fire was gaining bo rapidly that in the end it was all the men could do to escape themselves. Ten or 12 engines and manuaN were -oon ou the spot, but the fire burnt with such fierceness that the (Herts of the brigade were practically futile. On learning of Mr. Weston'a position, however, two firemen gallantly succeeded in bringing him out alive, having found him on the floor in an unconscious- condition. The fire burnt itself out about five o clock, having involved the whole of the works and offices The conflagration, wnioh Mr. Weston thinks must have been caused by a 1< ttf-r he threw down rather carelessly, near the fire, has caused damage to the extent of close upon £100,000, the moit valuable part of this being in copyrights. One loss, which will be much felt, is Mr. Vernakor's ' Uncreated Universe,' about which our readers will notice a letter from the author in another column. Strangely enough, Mr. Vernaker has attained his object, aB we understand that in const quenee ot the fire there is now not a single copy of his work, e\> nin manuscript, extant. Mr. Weston must be congratul.it< d on having escaped with his life, since we understand he had fallen asleep in his office, and only awoke when the fire had made considerable headway." Whe n Constance had finished reading this, Vernaker was silent for a moment. ' (rod is good,' he paid at length, reverently. 'He has guarded llh own.' 6 ' Here is another letter." said his wife. Tie read it an 1 handed it over to her. ' From Marston and Ward, to say they have accepted my novel ' w,i, all he said But (Jod. looking down upon the fcene, read it aright, and the gratitude of two honest hearts rose up before Him as the sweeteßt incense. — ('nth,, „ l'i,,s,,h