Bert leaned out of a window, and whistled a signal that had been agreed upon, whenever more pressure was needed. The boys at the handles, who had lagged a bit, increased their strokes, and more water was available. A few seconds later Vincent, who had turned his supervision of the bucket corps over to John Boll, came into the smoke-filled hall. "Can I help you, Bert?" he asked. "Oh, yes!" exclaimed Mrs. Blarcum, the aged housekeeper, as she stood some distance back, out of the smoke. "There are some valuable paintings in that room, and they ought to be saved. Can you boys get them out?" and she pointed to the door of an apartment just back of where the two lads, with the hose nozzles, stood. "Sure we will!" replied Vincent. "Come on, Bert. That will be easier than saving horses." The flames seemed to be eating back, in spite of the efforts of the young firemen, and the aid given by the bucket brigade, which last was not much. They had run up ladders on the outside of the house, near where the flames were, and were throwing water on in that way. "Why, the door's locked!" exclaimed Vincent, as he tried the knob. "Where's the key?" "Locked!" repeated Mrs. Blarcum. "I didn't know that. The paintings will be burned, and Mr. Stockton was very fond of them. They cost a lot of money." "We can break the door in!" cried Bert. "Come on, Vincent!" The boys prepared to rush at the portal. "Stop!" cried a ringing voice, and they looked up to see Muchmore hastening toward them. "Don't you dare go into that room!" CHAPTER XI SUSPICIONS AROUSED For a moment the boys hardly knew what to do. They stood looking at Muchmore, who seemed very angry, and also intensely excited. "We're going to save the pictures," said Vincent. "There are no pictures in there!" declared the man. "The housekeeper said so," put in Bert. "Yes, yes! The valuable paintings belonging to Mr. Stockton!" exclaimed Mrs. Blarcum. "They'll be burned up! The fire is coming this way!" "I don't care if it is!" fairly shouted Muchmore. "Let the pictures burn. As for you, old woman, if I find you meddling any more, with what doesn't concern you, I'll find a way to stop you! Now clear out!" The woman shrank back, mumbling to herself, and hastened down the stairs. "You boys are too fresh!" went on Muchmore. "Why don't you mind your own business?" "Our business is to put out fires!" declared Herbert. "And that's what we're doing here." "Then keep out of places where you have no right to enter! There is no fire here!" "But it may get here soon, and we wanted to save the things," added Vincent. "Get out!" exclaimed Muchmore, in an angry voice. "Don't you attempt to go into that room. You'd better pay more attention to the blaze." "The blaze is being attended to all right," replied Herbert. "We've got two streams on it. But if you don't want us to save any goods, I'm sure we don't mind. Come, Vincent, we'll leave."