Fire! CHAPTER 2 Having my own room meant that I no longer shared a sleeping place by the fires with Pip, the kitchen dog. But now every night he leaves his post in the pantries and sneaks up to my room using the backstairs, and I let him sleep on my bed. He’s a kind little creature who was my only friend when I first arrived in the house, and now he’s like family. I’ve no one else in all the world but him. I always make sure he gets enough to eat and take him for walks around the city whenever I have time off. We love exploring the streets together. .................... Then one hot and dry September night a strange thing happened. Pip jumped up off the bed and started to scratch at my door. As I sat up to see what he wanted, I heard Jane, the head housemaid, clattering down the wooden stairs. She had the room next to mine and must have woken the dog as she rushed off. I wondered what she was doing making such a racket in the middle of the night. I told Pip to be quiet and placed him back on the bed as I went to find out what was happening.
