WE START HOUSEKEEPING 



get up, because the dawn apparently appeared with 

 rosy hue in the sky ; it took me some minutes to re- 

 member that our window faced the west, and another 

 few to discover that it must be a fire. Nearly a 

 whole street was burnt down, including shops and a 

 hotel, to which at one time we had thought of going. 

 Luckily for us, the fire stopped just before it reached 

 a certain solicitor's office, as we were hiring a bun- 

 galow through him. We had the second offer of it, 

 the only house to be got for love or money, and we 

 got it by the first man wiring for it an hour or so 

 after his time limit, but it was already ours, we had 

 signed the lease. Happily, though small, it was 

 fairly near the military lines. We moved in next 

 day, a cook was lent to us, but on arriving at the 

 bungalow we found no servants and no baggage. 

 It looked serious, as we could not think where they 

 had gone, and we were dining out. Eventually we 

 found them all waiting in another person's house. 

 We then fixed up our camp furniture and undid our 

 boxes, but it rapidly grew dark, and our stores 

 and lamps, already ordered, had not put in an ap- 

 pearance. My husband went out to a neighbouring 

 bungalow and borrowed candles, which we stuck 

 about, as we had to begin to dress ; certainly it was 

 dressing under difficulties, with candles stuck on to 

 bits of cardboard ! We returned after our dinner 

 party to our still dark bungalow — the stores had not 

 been delivered. 



47 



