The  first  part  went  all  right.  But  when  the  lights
flashed  on,  instead  of  looking  up  and  screaming,
Stella  sort  of  crumpled  and  collapsed  on  top  of
Werner,  who  was  playing  the  father.  I  yelled  to
stop  the  cameras  and  rushed  in.  We  picked  her  up
and  put  her  on  the  couch.  Some  one  sent  for  the
doctor,  but  she  died  without  saying  a  w^ord.  I — I
haven't  the  slightest  idea  what  happened.  At  first
I  thought  it  was  heart  trouble."
"Did  she  have  heart  trouble?"
"No,  that  is — not  that  I  ever  heard."
Kennedy  hesitated.  "Why  were  you  taking
these  scenes  out  here?"

It  was  on  the  tip  of  my  tongue  to  answer  for
Manton.  I  knew  that  at  one  time  many  fine
interiors  were  actually  taken  in  houses,  to  save
expense.  I  was  sorry  that  Kennedy  should  draw

35


THE    FILM    MYSTERY

any  conclusion  from  a  fact  which  I  thought  was
too  well  known  to  require  explanation.  Manton's
answer,  however,  proved  a  distinct  surprise  to  me.
