Page:Susanna Wesley (Clarke 1886).djvu/90

78 as one of the happiest times of her life. All day long she was busy, but in the evening she read either aloud or to herself, and was very happy and con- tented. In March 1709, about a month after the fire, Kezia was born, and proved to be the last of Mrs. Wesley's children. That she should be ailing and delicate was only to be expected, considering what her mother, who was just forty years of age, had gone through. Five months later Mrs. Wesley, at the request of a neighbouring clergyman, wrote to him a little further account of the fire :

" Epworth, August 24th, 1709.

" On Wednesday night, February 9th, between the hours of eleven and twelve, some sparks fell from the roof of our house upon one of the children's feet. She immediately ran to our chamber and called us. Mr. Wesley, hearing a cry of fire in the street, started up (as I was very ill he lay in a separate room from me), and opening his door, found the fire was in his own house. He immediately came to my room, and bid me and my eldest daughters rise quickly and shift for ourselves. Then he ran and burst open the nursery-door, and called to the maid to bring out the children. The two little ones were in the bed with her; the three others in another bed. She snatched up the youngest, and bid the rest follow, which the three elder did. When we were got into the hall, and were surrounded with flames, Mr. Wesley found he had left the keys of the doors above-stairs. He ran up and recovered them a minute before the stair- case took fire. When we opened the street-door the strong north-east wind drove the flames in with such