Hallelujah had never been able to go see the fires (buildings and houses that caught on fire) that occurred regularly, but this one time she plays a trick on Miss Tilly and Mr. Joseph that allows her to observe the next fire. You can only guess what would happen next. Later that evening her chance arises. On her way to the fire, Edward Joseph upsets Hallelujah and she runs away from him. Her time away from him is an adventure, for what started out as a small fire soon engulfs the entire city. Hallelujah eventually decides to back home after realizing her home and family could have been destroyed.

Upon her return home she is greeted by people of all kind in her house. When she saw Miss Tilly she "began crying. Gratitude and love flooded her. She felt choked with sorrow for all the times she had been mean to Miss Tilly" (pg. 71). Hallelujah is glad her guardians are helping and she is eager to land a hand. Hallelujah sells glass and metal, melted in the fire, and brings the profits home for her family and runs errands to help out her family. Strangely enough the horrible fire changes Hallelujah's attitude for the better. It is amazing how something as bad as a fire can alter someone for good.