the triumphant entry of the assailants into the castle of
the enemy, which, in turn, would lead up to the rescue of the lovely
heroine just when the villainous knight was about to hurl her into
the blazing tower.

The chattering began to die away as the harsh voice of the stage
director was heard through his megaphone, giving directions as to how
this or that group should carry out their parts. Hugh wondered how
many turns it would take before that exacting manager felt like calling
it a satisfactory picture. Perhaps they might be forced to repeat
the scene many times, simply because some clumsy fellow did something
to injure its value.

Alec was busily manipulating his camera, and Hugh chuckled when he
found that the other was taking in the entire scene, showing the operator
with his instrument, as well as the scouts gathered near by. Billy,
too, had made the same discovery, for he was smiling as sweetly as he
knew how, and had again assumed that martial attitude which he seemed
to consider made him such a striking figure.

Evidently this little expedition was bound to be fruitful with results,
and on their return home those who were along would have something
to show for their labors. Even if that eccentric relative of Alec's
lost the chance to obtain a quiet retreat "far from the madding crowd,"
as Billy had once described it, their week-end outing promised to
be well worth the effort it cost them individually and collectively.

They watched everything that was being done. It was astonishing to
see what an amount of stuff the players had fetched along from the
city, in order to carry out the battle scene true to the original,
as they understood it. Why, even the rude bridge that had been thrown
across the moat had been fashioned beforehand, and was carried with
them in sections, like one of those ready-built houses Hugh remembered
seeing advertised, that "any boy could put together."

The stage director was fuming, and saying a lot of hard things, as
though some of the stupid acts of the army of _supers_ nearly drove
him distracted. By degrees he managed to whip his forces into the
shape he wanted before he gave the warning signal that the fun was
about to commence.

"Whee!" Billy was saying half to himself as he stared at the bustling
scene, "but wouldn't it be great if only we'd been asked to put on
some suits like those fellows are wearing, and have a chance to climb
up the ladders? I bet you now we