“Oh, Sister Julia!” cried Nan.
“Regie's shut up in his closet,” cried Harry.
“And we looked through the keyhole and saw an awful red light,” interrupted Nan.
“And we think he has set the closet on fire, and you had better go and see to it right away,” interrupted Harry, very much surprised that Sister Julia did not seem in the least alarmed.
“Why, he's only filling his plate-holders,” she exclaimed, laughing,
“Yes,” nodded Nan, her eyes as large as saucers, “he said something like that.”
“Of course he did, and the fire you thought you saw is the light from his ruby lantern.”
“His what!” exclaimed Harry; then, after a little pause, he added, “Say! won't you explain to us something about it?” Ashamed that he had shared Nan's fright, and foreseeing that he would be obliged to ask Regie more questions than would be at all agreeable.
“Why, certainly,” answered Sister Julia, with a smile still playing about the corners of her mouth. “You see they take these pictures on a plate, that is a square glass which comes for the purpose, coated with a dry, white preparation. Mr. Fairfax buys them in boxes holding a dozen each, and when Regie wants to take pictures he has to take them from the box and put them in his plate-holders. The plate-holders are a sort of little boxes that fit in the back of his camera.”
“His cam-e-ra?” drawled Nan.