Plot Summary:Charity and her young brother are taken in by Merlin Durand, the son of a penurious millionaire, when their mother, a poor cleaning woman, dies. Charity is a strong believer in the world of fairy tales, and calls Merlin \"The Prince\". Merlin's cheapskate father cuts off his allowance until he gets a job and earns a salary, then leaves home for a \"water cure\". His servants immediately take a vacation, leaving the house empty, so Charity and Merlin hide there until Merlin can find a job. Charity begins to call the mansion \"Charity Castle\". They soon wind up involved with a strange cast of characters, including a burglar and an unemployed Shakespearean actor.