"Do you think the _Mary Ellen_ will prove to be a safe boat in which to go to sea?" asked Mr. DeVere, when he, with his daughters, and the others, were on their way back to New York. "Why not?" asked the manager. "Well, I heard Jack Jepson say the schooner was a pretty old one," replied the veteran actor. "So she is," said Mr. Pertell, "if she hadn't been, our company never could have afforded to buy her just to make a shipwreck of her. But she is perfectly safe for what traveling we shall do. Brisco has assured me of that, and has seen to it. What sort of a yarn was Jepson giving you?" and Mr. Pertell seemed a bit annoyed. "Well, he merely said that the schooner was a pretty old one," went on Mr. DeVere, "and that she had seen her best days." "He didn't say that she was unsafe, did he?" "No, oh, no! Nothing like that!" exclaimed the actor quickly. "I was just wondering about her. I shouldn't like to take any chances you know," and he glanced over toward his daughters who had no part in this conversation. "Oh, the _Mary Ellen_ will be as safe as is necessary," the manager continued. "Besides we will be in Southern waters after we leave here, and there will be little danger from storms." "I am glad of that," Mr. DeVere said. "A warm Southern clime will be beneficial to my throat. It does not take kindly to our Northern weather, even at the best." In the days that followed there was plenty of work for the moving picture girls in the film studio. They had to take part in several little dramas that had to be completed before the sea scenes in the ocean play were undertaken. "Anything much to do this afternoon?" asked Russ of Ruth as he passed her near her dressing room one day about a week after the episode of the mistaken policemen. "No, I am free," she announced. "They have postponed that 'In the Slums' and I'm glad of it. I don't care for such characters as I have to assume in a play like that." "Nor I. I'm off for the afternoon, too. What do you say we take Alice, and go for a little trip to the Erie Basin?" "To see the _Mary Ellen_ again? There can't be much change since we saw her last." "No, not exactly to see her, though we could pay a visit if we liked. But you know we are to have a big motorboat follow us in the ocean scenes--I'm to take pictures from it, in fact--and that motorboat--the _Ajax_--is over in the Basin, near the old schooner. I thought maybe you'd like to take a look at her." "I would!" exclaimed Ruth with enthusiasm. "I'll tell Alice. She is disengaged, I know, for I heard Mr. Pertell tell her so." "I'm sorry we can't go for a trip in her," went on Russ, "but she isn't in shape yet. I have to go over to give some directions about building a platform for setting the camera on, and I thought we might combine business and pleasure." "It will be a pleasure to go," said Ruth, as she went off to find her sister. "Tell Paul, too, if you see him," Russ called after her. "We'll make a party of it."