Free Fire! Fire! by Stuart Hill Page A

fit and well? Can you run, boy? Can you stand up straight? Are you intelligent?”
    â€œYes, sir. To all of those things,” I answered, my voice coming back strongly as I guessed that perhaps an opportunity could be coming my way.
    â€œHmmm…” was the only reply Master Pepys gave. Then he turned back to the head steward. “A man of my standing needs a pageboy, Richards. Would this boy do?”
    The head steward looked at me sternly. “He’s bright and he’ll clean up reasonably. With a bit of training I think he’d do well enough.”
    â€œGood,” Master Pepys said. “Teach him his manners, get him a suit of clothes from the wardrobes and then send him to me. How long will it take?”
    â€œA week should make him presentable as long as he only has to stand still when needed and run errands when asked. The rest he can learn as he goes along.”
    I stood listening with my mouth open in excited amazement and then, remembering I was supposed to look like a pageboy, I snapped it shut again.
    I was both terrified and thrilled at the thought of being Master Pepys’ personal servant, but I was now also determined to be the best pageboy there had ever been. It just goes to show how unexpected things can happen. When Master Pepys had grabbed me I thought I was about to lose my job, and now here I was in a new and much better position!
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    That all happened three months ago and now I have several fine suits of clothes and my own room in the attic, so I can be called whenever Master Pepys needs me. If only my mother had lived long enough to see all of this. She would’ve been so proud.

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.
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    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. I could hear Jane bustling down the flights of stairs ahead of me and I hurried after her. I caught up with her two floors down, just as she arrived at my master and mistress’s bedroom.
    â€œWhat’s going on?” I asked in a hoarse whisper, but she ignored me and hammered on the door. I knew it had to be something really important if she was prepared to wake them up. What could it be?
    The loud snores coming from the bedroom suddenly stopped as Jane knocked again and a sleepy and confused voice called out: “Who’s there…? What’s wrong…?”
    Without waiting Jane pushed the door open and rushed in. I immediately followed, in case Master Pepys should need me… but also because I was desperate to know what was going on!
    â€œI’m sorry, Sir and Madam,” Jane gabbled. “But I thought you should know… there’s a huge fire burning across the city!” She pointed out of the window and down towards where London Bridge crossed the river.
    Master Pepys leapt out of bed, his nightshirt billowing like a sail on a warship and hurried over to the window to look. I moved to stand behind him and peered round his wide frame to see what was going on.
    Far off in the