“Of course,” remarked Alec, flippantly.  “It goes without saying that eventually knight in shining armor, Ivanhoe, or whoever he may be, gets to the locked door of the turret tower room, bursts his way through, and saves the lovely maiden, like they always do in stories of those olden times.  But here’s hoping the fire doesn’t get out of control, and set in to destroy the best part of this wonderful castle.  Such things have been known to happen, I’ve read.”

“Gosh!” ejaculated Billy with morse than his accustomed vigor, “you’re only thinking of the humbug old castle, Alec, and what chance there would be for your rich aunt to buy the same if half burned down.  Guess you forget the poor girl shut up in that lonesome turret room; what d’ye suppose would become of her if the fire got beyond control?”

“And not a ladder in sight, either,” added Monkey Stallings, dismally, as he swept his eyes around in a nervous way.  “As for a fire company, there isn’t one closer than Danbury, which is all of ten miles away.  Whew!  I’m beginning to wish the whole business was over with, boys, and the troupe jogging along back to the town they came from in all those big automobiles.”

Hugh made no remark just then, but perhaps this suggestion of possible trouble cause him a little concern.  He could be seen looking gravely toward the immense pile of real and imitation stone as though mentally figuring what it might be possible to do in a sudden emergency.

As numerous events in the past had proved, Hugh Hardin was always a great hand for mapping out things beforehand.  He believed in the principle of preparing for war in times of peace, so as not to be taken unawares.

“A man insures his home,” Hugh often said in explanation of this habit, “when everything seems lovely and safe, not when the fire is raging, and his property going up in flame and smoke.”

The stage manager had determined that there was no need of repeating the last wild scene where the castle was taken, and a tottering wall fell unexpectedly in the midst of the furious struggle.  Let it stand, he had determined, accident and all.  It appeared to be almost perfect “copy,” and would show up as a faithful portrayal of the stupendous perils attending the efforts of his company in enacting just one phase of a romantic drama of the days of chivalry.

“I notice that they are meaning to use two machines and a couple or camera men, so as to get all the excitement down pat,” ventured Alec, presently, as they stood and watched the hurrying people of the play in their remarkable attire suggestive of those feudal days of old.

“One is to be kept busy outside,” explained Hugh, “while the other takes pictures of the fighting going on through the corridors and apartments of the castle, while the knight and his valorous retainers are battling their way closer and closer to the place where the captive ‘maiden’ is held fast behind the locked door.  I got all that stuff straight from Mr. Jefferson, and those are his own words, so don’t laugh.”