Fred was wakened by the alarm and the red light streaming into his room. 报警声惊醒了弗雷德，红色的火光向着他的房间逼近。

　　He dressed himself in a moment, almost, and tapped at the door of his mother's bedroom. 他立刻穿上衣服，几乎同时敲响了他母亲卧室的门。

　　"It is Mr. Barton's house, mother. Do let me go," he said in eager, excited tones. “是巴顿家的房子着火了，妈妈。让我去帮忙吧。”他用急切而又激动的语气说道。

　　Mrs. Liscom thought a moment. He was young, but she could trust him, and she knew how much his heart was in the request. 利斯科姆夫人想了一下。虽然他年纪不大，但她相信他能行，而且她也知道他的请求是多么真心实意。

　　"Yes, you may go," she answered;" but be careful, my boy. “好吧，你可以去，”她回答，“但一定要小心，我的孩子。

　　If you can help, do so; but do nothing rashly. 如果你能帮上忙，那一定要帮；不过千万不要莽撞。

　　Fred promised to follow her advice, and hurried to the fire. 弗雷德保证会遵从母亲的建议，然后匆忙向火灾现场跑去。

　　Mr. and Mrs. Barton were not at home. The house had been left in charge of the servants. 巴顿夫妇不在家。房子留给佣人们照看。

　　The fire spread with fearful speed, for there was a high wind, and it was found impossible to save the house. 火势以令人恐惧的速度蔓延着，由于风力太大，想保住房子是不可能的了。

　　The servants ran about, screaming and lamenting, but doing nothing to any purpose. 佣人们纷纷叫嚷着、抱怨着，四散逃窜，任何想办法的事都没做。

　　Fred found Tom outside, in safety. "Where is Katy?" he asked. 弗雷德在外面找到了汤姆，他安然无恙。“凯蒂在哪儿？”弗雷德问。

　　Tom, trembling with terror, seemed to have had no thought but of his own escape. 汤姆害怕得浑身发抖，看起来他只想着自己逃出来，其他的都顾不上了。