Billy seemed quite awed at the idea.  He was observed to slyly pull down his vest, and straighten himself up as though on dress parade.  If countless thousands of people were going to gaze upon his person throughout the whole length and breadth of the land, Billy wanted to do his family justice, and not disgrace his bringing up.

Plainly, the stage director seemed to be considerably interested in the scouts.  Possibly he may have had a boy or two of his own in his metropolitan home who also wore the khaki, and consequently any fellow who sported such a uniform was of some value in his eyes.  Then again, in his hard labors, the coming of Hugh and his four comrades may have seemed like a breath of fresh air, something to temporarily distract him from the routine of his trying business.

At any rate, he seemed disposed to continue the conversation while his people were resting, and making ready for the next act in the drama of publicity.

“Although all this seems very wonderful to you boys,” he went on to remark, lighting a cigarette as he spoke, at which he took several puffs and then nervously threw it away again, “it represents only one little event in the bustling activities of my force here, as any regular member of it could tell you.”

“I suppose you must have been around some, sir?” ventured Monkey Stallings, at which the red-faced manager looked queerly at him and then chuckled.

“Well, it’s a hustling age, you know,” he told them.  “I’ve been at this business over four years now, and so far it hasn’t quite reduced me to a skeleton in spite of the fierce work.  I’ve taken the leading members of my famous players across the desert in Egypt to the pyramids, explored Spain and the heart of India, traveled across Japan, gone into China, camped in Central American jungles, wandered into the heart of Africa hunting big game, toured away up in Alaska as well as traveled all through the Wild West, and in Mexico among the fighting that’s always going on down there.  And I’ve got a few more stunts mapped out that will dwarf everything else that’s ever been undertaken.  Oh! this is only a little picnic for a motion-picture stage director.”

He may have been stretching the truth more or less, but then Hugh saw no reason to disbelieve what he said.  The boy realized that in these modern days those who would succeed in the midst of fierce competition must have something very unusual to offer the fickle public in the way of adventure and novel effects.  Why, the mere fact of this manager learning about the deserted castle in the lonesome valley, and fetching such an army of players all the way up there to impersonate the genuine characters of olden days, was proof enough that what he had just been saying might be considered in the line of reason.  At all events, there was no ground on which to doubt him.

Billy was casting frequent nervous glances over toward the spot where the operator was still grinding lustily away, seeking to get a good picture of the actors in one of their off-periods, when they were taking things easy after a recent “engagement.”