The earliest fire brigades in London were paid for by insurance companies rather than by the city, and each fi a me badge t the fr of ev house i covered. A cr that arr at a bur building loo first for the badge, and a house with the wrong one might be passed over while the street filled with smoke. The absurdity of the arrangement was obvious to everyone, and it survived for a century because no other body wanted the expense.

Type only the missing letters. Each box is one letter, and the number of boxes matches the letters that are missing.