The Nancy Drew Mystery

Stories 22:The Clue in theCrumbling Wall

Carolyn Keene

When Nancy is asked to find a professional dancer whodisappeared several years before, the young detectivebecomes involved in a mystery reaching far beyond amissing-person's case. Clues lead to a huge estate whichthe dancer is to inherit if she can claim it in time. DuringNancy's investigation at Heath Castle, she and herfriends Bess Marvin and George Fayne realize that itscrumbling walls contain a secret, but what is it? And whoare their enemies that try to foil their every attempt tounravel the intricate puzzle? Danger lurks in a castletower and throughout the vine-tangled grounds of theestate. The girls' gripping adventures culminate in adramatic climax when Nancy exposes a sinister plot todefraud the dancer of her inheritance.

TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I An Urgent RequestCHAPTER II Heath CastleCHAPTER III: A Runaway BoatCHAPTER IV: The Haunted WalkCHAPTER V: Suspicious FiguresCHAPTER VI: A Mysterious ExplosionCHAPTER VII: A Puzzling MessageCHAPTER VIII: Locked In!CHAPTER IX: Trap DoorCHAPTER X: In Search of a ClueCHAPTER XI: A WarningCHAPTER XII: Secret EntranceCHAPTER XIII: Treasure!CHAPTER XIV: Cinderella's SlipperCHAPTER XV: Salty's PlightCHAPTER XVI: News of JulianaCHAPTER XVII: Kidnapped!CHAPTER XVIII: Tower TroubleCHAPTER XIX: Release and CaptureCHAPTER XX: A Last Surprise

CHAPTER IAn Urgent Request

"Hurry, Nancy!" Hannah Gruen

called anxiously. The Drews' housekeeperheld the front door open as jaggedlightning cut the sky. Nancy raced madly toward thedoor, her red-dish-blond hair flying in thewind. "Made it!" she gasped, laughing, asgreat drops of rain pelted the driveway. The attractive, eighteen-year-oldgirl stepped into the hall and stopped insurprise. Behind Hannah stood a slenderyoung policewoman in a blue uniform. "This is Lieutenant Masters, dear,"said Hannah. "She arrived just before yourcar turned into the driveway."

"I can't stay long. Nancy," theofficer said, "so I'll come right to thepoint. Will you help solve a mystery?"The woman's dark eyes gazed into Nancy'ssteadily. "I'm sure you can do it." Nancy was amazed, but merelysaid, "I'd like to hear about it. Won't youcome in and sit down?" She led the officerinto the living room. Nancy's zest for adventure came toher naturally from her father, CarsonDrew, a well- known lawyer. Whilehelping him, she had solved her first case.The Secret of the Old Clock. Since thenshe had been successful in finding thesolutions to several mysteries, the mostrecent one The Secret in the Old Attic. Bynow Nancy had an outstanding reputation,

even with the police, as an amateur sleuth. "Chief McGinnis recommendedthat I ask you," Lieutenant Masters said,seating herself on the sofa. "He told meyou have great insight into character." Thetrim, dark-haired officer explained thatshe had just joined the River HeightsPolice Department. "This case is relatedto one of mine. I'm in charge of juvenileoffenders." "Then your mystery involves achild?" "Yes. A pretty little eight-year-oldgirl named Joan Fenimore. She's been introuble with the law and will be in more,I'm afraid, unless we can find her aunt.Nancy, have you ever heard of JulianaJohnson?"

"She was a dancer, wasn't she?"Nancy asked. "Yes. She disappeared ten yearsago at the height of her career." "And she's Joan's aunt?" "Yes. Juliana must be found withinthe next three weeks or lose an inheritancethat a friend willed to her. If we can findher, surely she'll help Joan and her motherand make a new way of life for Joan." "Three weeks!" Nancy repeated."That means I haven't a moment to lose!" The lieutenant's grave face brokeinto a smile. "Then you'll take the case?" shesaid. "I'm so glad!" She glanced at herwatch and rose quickly. "I must go now.The rain has stopped. I was on a call in

this neighborhood and decided to drop byon the chance you were at home. Couldyou meet me at headquarters about threeo'clock this afternoon?" "Certainly," Nancy replied. "Fine! I'll tell you all about it then,and we'll go see Joan and her mother. Bythe way," she added when they reachedthe door, "do you know Heath Castle, abig estate some miles outside of town?" "Yes, I do," Nancy said. "I've seenit from the river. It's that spooky-lookingplace with those stone towers and the highwalls around it." "Find out all you can about theplace," Lieutenant Masters said. "It'sJuliana's inheritance. And thank you.Nancy. Little Joan really needs your

help!" After the policewoman had left.Nancy went to the kitchen and told Hannahabout the mystery. "Now you're happy!" the kindly,middle-aged woman said fondly. "Youhave a new easel I just hope it won't bedangerous." Mrs. Gruen had been with thefamily since the death of Mrs. Drew whenNancy was three years old. Thewarmhearted housekeeper had alwaysbeen like a mother to the girl. "What do you know about HeathCastle?" Nancy asked her. "Not much. It was built-" "Hannah!" Nancy exclaimed. Shewas facing the window. "Look-in the

yard!" "What is it?" the housekeeperasked, peering through the glass. "Oh,what a shame!" she cried out. "All thehollyhocks are snapped off in the middleand the daisies are flattened into the mudfrom the rain!" "That's not what I mean," saidNancy. "Look at the flower border wheremy new rosebushes where." "Why, they're gone!" said Hannah.She stared in amazement at two holesfilled with rain water. "The bushes were dug up," saidNancy, "and stolen!" "Probably by the same thief whotook plants from some of our neighbors,"Hannah remarked. "There's been a rash of

these thefts lately." "I'll report it when I go toheadquarters this afternoon," Nancy said. While she set the table and heatedsoup, Hannah made sandwiches. By thetime the two had finished their lunch, theground had dried a little and the sun wasout. They hurried into the back yard toinspect the damage. Except for therosebushes, no plants were missing.Nancy could not find any clues to the thief.She and Hannah began cleaning up debrisfrom the storm. Suddenly they heard thefamiliar song of one of River Heights'well-known eccentric characters. "Here comes my old friend Saltydown the street!" Nancy laughed, shaking

off her somber mood. The good-natured, elderly man,once a sailor, had received his nicknamefrom Nancy when she was a little girl. Hehad introduced himself to the Drewhousehold as Boatswain BostwickBumpleton, "home from the salty seas." Nancy had tried to say his wholename but sometimes mixed it up. Once sheaddressed him as Bumple Boat andanother time as Humpty DumptyBumpleton, much to his amusement.Finally the little girl settled on Salty andher nickname stuck to him. The man's cart bell tinkledmerrily, and a moment later the jolly,weather-beaten sailor wheeled his wagonaround the corner of the driveway. Spying

Nancy and Hannah, he sang again:"Clams by the bushel,

Clams by the lot,Clams for the kettle,Clams for the pot."

"None for us today," Mrs. Gruencalled. Salty smiled. "Come now," hecoaxed. 'Ye can't turn down my clams.They're nutritious, delicious, delectable,respectable! Matter of fact, ye might evenfind a pearl in one of 'em!" Nancy turned to Hannah. "Don'tyou think we could use a few pearlyclams?" she asked with a wink. The housekeeper gave in. "Okay, adozen. Nancy, please get my purse." Nancy darted away, but soon

returned with the pocketbook and acontainer for the clams. After the elderly sailor had left,she and Hannah took the clams into thekitchen and Nancy started to open themwith a sharp knife. Soon she had a pile ofempty shells, but no pearls. "I guess these haven't anything inthem but meat! Well, here's the last one." Nancy opened the clam and wasabout to toss away the attractive, rainbow-colored shell when a tiny object insidedrew her attention. "A pearl!" she cried, holding it outfor the housekeeper to see. Hannah stared at the small whiteobject. "I declare, it is one," sheacknowledged, "and may be worth some

money!" "I'll take it to Sam Weatherby,"Nancy said eagerly. She removed thepearl and washed it, then drove to Mr.Weatherby's shop. The owner was a dealer in curiosand antique jewelry. Nancy had to waitfifteen minutes while an unpleasant manbargained with the shop owner over apiece of jewelry he wanted to sell. It wasa man's antique watch chain with anattractive gold charm. At last the customeraccepted an offer, pocketed the money Mr.Weatherby paid him, and turned on hisheel, remarking, "I might as well havegiven it to you!" After the man had left, Mr.Weatherby said to Nancy, "That was

Daniel Hector. How he loves to argue! Ifall my customers were like him, I'd haveto close up shop. Well, what can I do foryou, Nancy?" She removed the pearl from herpurse and asked the curio dealer what itwas worth. "Well, well," he said, examiningthe object carefully, "it's nice, but riverpearls are not valuable." He named amodest sum. "I'll buy it if you'll bring methe shell from which it was taken. I wantto display the pearl with the shell." Nancy promised to return with theshell the next day. Then she put the pearlin her pocket-book and left the shop. Shestarted walking the few crowded blocks topolice headquarters.

As Nancy stopped to look in thewindow of a department store, a boy drewclose to her. Then suddenly he jerked thepurse from beneath her arm and fled!

CHAPTER IIHeath Castle

It took Nancy a moment to recoverfrom her astonishment. By the time shewhirled around, the purse snatcher wasalready running down the street. Nancydashed after him, but tried to avoidbumping into pedestrians. "What's the matter?" asked a manshe side-stepped just in time to avoid acollision. "My purse-" He took up the chase with her. Asword spread, other people followed. Butthe boy was running fast. Nancy caught aglimpse of him as he dashed into a narrowalley between two buildings. When she

reached it, there was no sign of him. "Well, there goes my pearl," shethought unhappily. Besides the pearl, her purse hadcontained her driver's license, carregistration, some credit cards, money,and cosmetics. "I suppose I should be thankful Ididn't lose more," Nancy said to herselfruefully. She thanked the stranger who hadtried to assist her, then hurried down thestreet to headquarters and was taken intoLieutenant Masters' office. After greetings were exchanged.Nancy said, "I want to report two thefts."First she told about the boy who hadsnatched her purse.

"Can you describe him?" thepolicewoman asked. "I didn't get a look at his face,"said Nancy, "but I think he was about tenor twelve years old. He was stocky withtousled blond hair and wore blue jeansand a tee shirt." "Many boys could fit thatdescription," Lieutenant Masterscommented. "We'll do our best, but Idoubt that you'll get back your bag withthe contents." Then she frowned. "Did Ihear you say 'two thefts'?" "Yes," said Nancy, and told aboutthe missing rosebushes. The officer's dark eyes gleamedwith interest. "I think I can give you theanswer to the second one right away," she

said. "The culprit is probably little JoanFenimore." "Oh no!" Nancy said in dismay. "Yes," said the officer. "I told youshe had been in difficulty with the law.Just before I came to see you I waschecking into another report of flowersstolen from your neighborhood. Thewoman of the house caught a glimpse ofthe child and described her. "Joan has a passionate love forflowers," Lieutenant Masters went on,"and an amazing knowledge of them. Iarranged for her to join a nature studyclass at the museum, but I'm afraid that myrehabilitation program backfired. Recentlyshe has taken plants and shrubs from otherhomes."

"What a shame!" Nancy said. "Joan's father is not living," theyoung officer resumed. "Her widowedmother is ill and very poor." Nancy listened sympathetically asthe police-woman went on, "I'll see thatJoan returns the bushes to your garden.Mrs. Fenimore will insist upon it, anyway.She's greatly distressed by her child'sbehavior." Lieutenant Masters stood up."Come along," she said. "We'll go therenow and you can hear everythingfirsthand." The two rode to the Fenimorehouse located in a run-down section of thecity. The tiny yard was a mass of colorfulflowers, however, and vines half-covered

the unpainted, weather-beaten porch. AsNancy and the officer went up theflagstone walk, the policewoman calledattention to two young, newly plantedrosebushes. "Are these yours?" she asked. "They look like the ones that werein our yard," Nancy said. "But-" She broke off, because a little girlin a faded pink dress had just come aroundthe corner of the house. When the childsaw the woman in uniform, she stoppedshort and then turned as if to run off. "Don't be afraid," the lieutenantsaid gently. "Did you come to take me away?"Joan asked. "Indeed we didn't. But we will

have to send you to a special schoolunless you decide to be good." "I am good," Joan said, tossing hertangled blond curls. "Just ask my mother!" "In many ways you are very good.I know you work hard to take care of yourmother. But why do you dig up shrubs andplants that don't belong to you?" Joan's gaze roved to the telltalerosebushes. She hung her head and didn'tanswer. "I'm sure you don't really mean tobe naughty," the policewoman continued."Why do you take flowers?" "Because they're pretty," Joansaid. "We can never buy anything nice." The child sank down on the porchsteps and began to cry. Lieutenant Masters

comforted her. Soon she gained anadmission from the little girl that an olderboy, Teddy Hooper, who lived next door,had suggested that Joan help herself tosome pretty plants. "I don't know why I did it." Joanbegan to sob. "I wish my Aunt Julianawould come home. I'm sure she'd buy ussome nice things." In an undertone Lieutenant Mastersexplained to Nancy that Joan knew abouther aunt only from her mother. "Mrs. Fenimore wasn't marriedwhen her sister disappeared. Come insideand let her tell you the story." Nancy received a distinct shock asJoan led the way into the living room.Lying on a well-worn couch was a slender

woman with deep lines in her pallid face.Nancy was sure Mrs. Fenimore was notmore than thirty years old, but she lookedfifty. Upon seeing the policewoman, aconcerned expression appeared on Mrs.Fenimore's face. "Has Joan donesomething wrong again?" At her mother's question, the childturned her head away. Neither LieutenantMasters nor Nancy spoke immediately.After a brief pause, the police officerintroduced the new visitor. "I'm glad to meet you," Mrs.Fenimore said softly. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well,"Nancy replied. "Perhaps it would bebetter if I came back some other time."

"No, no." "I wish you'd tell Nancy Drewabout your sister," Lieutenant Mastersurged. "Nancy's a detective and will try tofind out what happened to Juliana." "You really will?" Mrs. Fenimorelooked at the girl hopefully. "You see,Julie went away by herself for a month'srest and never was heard of again." "Have you any idea at all whereshe may have gone?" Nancy asked. "Doyou think she disappeared deliberately?" "No. I can't believe that, and Ikeep telling Joan I'm sure her aunt willcome home someday." Mrs. Fenimoreexplained that the dancer had beenengaged to a wealthy manufacturer namedWalter Heath.

"Five years after her mysteriousdisappearance, he died and left HeathCastle to Juliana. He tried to trace herbefore his death but was unsuccessful.There's a provision in his will whichstipulates that it Juliana does not claim hisestate within five years, it is to be soldand the money given to charities hespecified. The time is almost up." After a pause Mrs. Fenimore wenton, "The grounds of Heath Castle werebeautiful once, with walled gardens andsunken pools. Now I'm told it looks likean overgrown jungle, full of weeds.Nevertheless, I am hoping Julie will befound and can come to claim the castle." The story deeply interested Nancy.She could hardly wait to begin the search

for the missing dancer. She was also eagerto visit Heath Castle! She mentioned thisto Mrs. Fenimore. The woman smiled. "I'll lend you akey to the front door that Walter left withme to give to Julie. Joan dear, bring myjewel case here." The little girl hurried off to get it.In a few moments she returned with thebox. Her mother took the key from insideand handed it to Nancy. "I wish you luck," Mrs. Fenimoresaid. Before Nancy and LieutenantMasters left the house, they helped Joanprepare supper for herself and her mother.Wishing to spare Mrs. Fenimore anyfurther worry, they refrained from

discussing the child's thieving instincts indepth. As they drove away. Nancyremarked, "It's possible Juliana met withfoul play." "Yes," said Lieutenant Masters. "Ifthat's true, you may find yourself upagainst a dangerous adversary." When the two young womenwalked into headquarters a little later, thedesk sergeant said, "You're in luck. MissDrew!" He held up her stolen purse. "Apatrolman found it in a trash can. Nothingbut the money and the pearl was taken." Nancy was thrilled. "I'mespecially glad to have my driver'slicense and car registration back," shesaid, "and the credit cards. Please thank

the patrolman for me." The following day Nancy relatedMrs. Fenimore's story to her closestfriends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne,who had dropped in. The two girls werecousins and helped Nancy when she wasworking on a mystery. Bess was blondand slightly plump. She was less inclinedtoward adventure than her spunky cousin,an attractive brunette, who liked athleticsand was proud of having a boy's name. Bess said soberly, "It's a shameabout Joan and Teddy. I'll help you all Ican with them." George was eager to pursue workon the mystery. "What are we waitingfor?" she asked. "Why not go now andexplore the castle?"

Cautiously Bess asked, "Will it besafe?" "It won't be easy," Nancy warnedher friends. "I was told the undergrowth islike a jungle. Maybe the best way to getthere is by motorboat up the MuskokaRiver." Twenty minutes later the threegirls rented a small motorboat atCampbell's Landing. The craft was oldand the engine clattered and threw oil, butit was the only boat available. "Lucky we all know how toswim," Bess said with some misgiving asthey pulled away from the dock. "I have afeeling this old tub leaks and may sinkbefore we go very far." "We'll be all right if George keeps

busy with the bailer!" Nancy laughed,heading the craft upstream. The river was wide near town, butthe upper reaches were narrow andtwisted and turned at such sharp anglesthat fast travel was out of the question. Atthe wheel. Nancy kept an alert watch forshoals. Water was slowly seeping in at thebow. "It's really pretty out here, but sowild." Bess commented, her gazewandering along the solid line of treesfringing the shores. "Better forget the scenery for awhile," Nancy advised, "and give Georgea hand with the bailing. If you don't, ourshoes will be soaked." The water was coming in faster

now. Both Bess and George workedvigorously, dipping the water andthrowing it over the side. "Listen!" Nancy said presently."What's that?" Bess and George stopped bailingto look around. They had heard no unusualsound. "Another boat!" Nancy exclaimedas the noise of an engine grew louder."But where is it?" Just then a small blue-and-whitecraft shot into view from Harper's Inlet,one of the river's many small hidden bays. "Look out!" Bess cried in alarm. The pilot in the oncoming boatseemed to be unaware of the girls in theirlittle craft. At high speed he raced straight

toward it. Desperately Nancy spun thewheel. There was not enough space toclear. With a splintering crash the twoboats collided!

CHAPTER IIIA Runaway Boat

The speeding boat which hadstruck the girls' craft now veered sharplyaway and raced down- stream. Meanwhile, the impact had causedBess to lose her balance. She hit her headon the side of the boat and toppled into thewater. Instantly Nancy turned off themotor. If Bess were unconscious, therewas no time to lose! George had alreadydived over the side. When she located hercousin, she grasped the inert form with herleft arm and struck out with the other forthe boat. Nancy leaned over and helpedpull the unconscious Bess aboard.

"Is she-?" Nancy began. At that moment Bess opened hereyes and coughed several times. Nancypatted her on the back. "I'm-all-right," Bess said weakly."Our boat-" She tried to point. For the first time the othersrealized that water was filling the craft atan alarming rate through a small hole in itsside. "Quick, George! Pail!" Nancycried. George picked up the bucket shehad been using before and started to work.Nancy crumpled up a newspaper lying onthe bottom of the boat and stuffed the holewith it. In a tackle box she found a smallburlap sack, which she rolled up and

added to the paper. In a moment the inflowof rushing water was reduced to a trickle. "Good!" George panted and satdown. "Now we can chase that otherboat!" It was not in sight, however, andNancy decided it would be useless to trypursuing the faster craft. She turned herattention to Bess. "How are you feeling?" she asked. "All right. But I'd like to go home." "We will," said Nancy. "I'm afraidthis boat can't stand much more." "I wish we hadn't lost the fellowwho ruined it," said George. "If I ever seehim-" "Would you recognize him?"Nancy asked.

George said she would not, andBess had not gotten a good look at himeither. "I saw him," Nancy said slowly."I'm sure I'd recognize his face. And hewas thin and wore a light-blue cap." The girls dreaded returning toCampbell's Landing with their damagedcraft. But when the owner saw thedamaged craft, he was not angry. "It won't cost more than twenty-five dollars to repair it," he assured them."My boat rental insurance will take careof it." After saying good-bye, Nancydrove her friends home. As Bess got outof the car, she said, "I'm sorry our trip toHeath Castle was ruined."

Nancy smiled. "We'll go anothertime." The following day's investigationunearthed no clue to the identity of theboatman. Though Nancy described himand his blue-and-white craft to severalpersons, not one of them was able toidentify it. Finally she thought of Salty theclam digger. "I'll drive down to his place on theriver and talk with him," she told HannahGruen. "He might also know somethingabout the Heath estate." Nancy invited Bess to go alongand proceeded toward the river. Salty'shome was very quaint. Once it had been asmall, attractive yacht. Now it was abeached wreck, weathered by sun and

rain. Its only claim to any former glorywas the flag which flew proudly from theafterdeck. "Anyone here?" Nancy called. "Come in, come in!" the formersailor invited. He was sitting with his feetup on a built-in table and eating beans outof a can. When he saw the girls, he stoodup. "Ye honor me, comin' here," he said,his blue eyes twinkling. "But I'm goin' tohave to disappoint ye. I've nary a clamtoday." "Oh. we didn't come to buyclams," Nancy replied, glancing curiouslyat the furnishings of the yacht. The roomwas small and cluttered, but very clean.Salty's bunk was neatly made. On a shelf

above it was an amazing array of seashells. "I collect 'em," the sailorexplained, following Nancy's gaze. "Someo' those shells came from the Orient, an'some from right here in the Muskoka." He walked over to the shelf andpointed to a curious specimen. "That'scalled the washboard clam. It's one o' thebiggest of our river clams. And this is awhelk from the seashore. You can get dyeout of it when the critter's fresh." "How interesting!" the girlsexclaimed. Pleased by their attention, the manshowed them other shells which were toolarge to stand on the narrow shelf. One,measuring three feet across, had come

from an island in the Pacific. Nancy grinned. "What a pearl thatmight hold!" She told of her own loss,saying she was glad the pearl was notlarge and valuable. The former sailor showed the girlsother treasures from the sea; huge flutedspecimens and tiny, delicate shells.Amazed at the variety, Nancy asked Saltyif he had collected them during his travels. "No." The clam digger laughed."Mr. Heath gave 'em to me." The name startled Nancy. "NotWalter Heath?" "No. Ira Heath-Walt's father,"Salty answered. "He gave me the shellswhen he had his button factory on theinlet."

"A button factory near here?" Bessasked in surprise. "It's been closed for years. It wasshut down when the supply o' fresh-watermussels gave out. Mollusk mother-of-pearl shells are used, you know, to makepearl buttons." "What became of Mr. Heath?"Nancy inquired. "Ira was born in England an' wentback there on a visit. He died in London.His son Walt was left in charge here." "Did Ira build the castle?" Bessasked. Salty nodded, warming to thestory. "Yes, Heath Castle was built tolook like one o' those fancy Englishplaces. The gardens were beautiful-a sight

to set your eyes ablaze with admiration.Stone walls everywhere, with flowers an'vines, an' all kinds o' trees fromeverywhere in the world." Nancy was becoming more eagerevery minute to see the estate. "But for me," Salty went on, "theplace is too lonesome. No houses closeby. The old gent built it 'bout a mile up theriver from the button factory. Walter livedin it, too, an' he used to do some o' hisscientific experimentin' there." "What kind of experiments?"Nancy asked. "Don't know," said Salty. "SinceWalt died, no one ever goes near thecastle, or the factory on Harper's Inlet." "Harper's Inlet?" Nancy repeated

thoughtfully. "Someone must have beenthere yesterday." "That's right," Bess agreed. "Wesaw a motorboat coming out of the inlet. Itcrashed into our boat." "Queer," Salty commented. "I don'tknow what business anyone would have atthe factory. Who was the fellow?" "That's what we came to ask you,"Nancy replied. She gave a complete account of theincident. Salty could not identify the manor his boat from her description, but hepromised to watch for such a person. "I'll keep an eye out for the boat,too," he added. "Can't figure what thefellow would be doin' there. Fishin's nogood there. Maybe I'll run up an' have a

look." Satisfied that Salty would be ableto locate the boat if anyone could. Nancyand Bess thanked him and left. As they stepped onto the dock theysaw that the weather had changed. Darkclouds filled the sky and the wind waswhipping the river into whitecaps. "I wanted to visit Heath Castletoday," Nancy said, "but it wouldn't bewise to take a boat out now. "Let's do it tomorrow," Besssuggested. "Then George can go with us,"Nancy said. A surprise awaited Nancy whenshe reached home. While she and Mrs.Gruen had been away, the two rosebushes

had been replanted in the garden. Theywere only slightly wilted from havingbeen moved twice. "Oh, I'm so glad Joan brought themback!" Nancy declared. "I'm sure shewouldn't have taken them if that Hooperboy hadn't urged her to." Nancy was pressing earth firmlyabout the bushes when her father droveinto the garage. She stopped her work andran to greet him. Mr. Drew was adistinguished-looking man, tall andhandsome. "I'm happy you're back from yourtrip," she said. "Hello, Nancy." He smiled."How's the garden?" "Better today. The rosebushes that

were taken day before yesterday are homeagain." The Drews went into the housetogether and Nancy told him about theboat, the Fenimore problems, and themystery of Juliana's disappearance. "Dad, tell me all you can about IraHeath and his son Walter," she said. "Didyou know them?" "Only by reputation. For years theyoperated a very successful pearl buttonfactory. Then the business went to pieces." "I already know that part," Nancysaid. "What about Heath Castle? AfterWalter Heath died, who took charge of theplace?" "Daniel Hector is the executor, Ibelieve."

Nancy's mind flew to theunpleasant customer in the curio dealer'sshop. "The lawyer?" she asked. "Yes," Mr. Drew replied. "But Imust say his sharp practice of law neverappealed to me." "Do you think Mr. Hector dideverything possible to find Juliana?"Nancy asked thoughtfully. "I believe so." "Did you know her?" "I saw her perform many times,and admired her dancing very much," Mr.Drew replied. "Why she disappeared atthe height of her career has alwayspuzzled me." "Apparently she left no clues

behind." "The case was a strange one," herfather said. "I guess her fiancé was prettybroken up over her disappearance. I'vealways wondered if he might have hadsomething to do with it." After a pause headded, "Heath Castle might provide a keyto the mystery." "I was thinking the same thing!"Nancy exclaimed with a mysterioustwinkle in her eyes. "Tomorrow I'll gothere and take a look around that castleand those old walls!"

CHAPTER IVThe Haunted Walk

Shortly after breakfast thefollowing morning, Nancy, Bess, andGeorge drove to Heath Castle. By studying a map of the area, theyhad discovered a little-used road whichled to the abandoned estate. Though thiswoodland route was rough and dusty,Bess preferred it to another boat trip. "Hope we don't get a flat tire,"Nancy remarked, maneuvering the car toavoid jagged rocks. "How much farther isit?" George peered at the odometer andnoted that they had traveled about fivemiles from the outskirts of River Heights.

"We're coming to something!" sheexclaimed a moment later. Through the trees the girls caught afleeting glimpse of a tall tower. The carrounded a sharp curve, blotting it fromview. Then the road ended abruptly infront of a high, vine-covered stone wall. "The front boundary of the estate!"Bess announced. "There's the name HeathCastle on the gate." Nancy jumped from the car and ledthe girls to the iron gate. It was fastenedby a heavy iron chain, secured by a hugepadlock. "The key I have won't open thispadlock," Nancy said. "It's for the frontdoor." "Who put the padlock on?" Bess

asked. "Probably Daniel Hector, theexecutor," George replied. "Whoever it was is determined tokeep everyone out," Nancy saidthoughtfully. "How do we get in?" Bess asked. "Over the top, commando style,"George urged. "Lucky we wore jeans." Nancy and Bess looked withmisgivings at the sharp iron spikes of thehigh, rusty gate. "I don't like the idea of climbingover that. There must be an easier way toget in," Nancy said, her gaze roving alongthe crumbling, ivy- covered wall. The girls walked alongside forsome distance. Finally they came to a spot

which was a bit lower than the gate andoffered good toe holds. It was not difficultfor them to grasp vines and pullthemselves to the top. Bess was reluctantto go, but decided to follow. The threefriends leaped down on the other side ofthe wall and started through the densegrowth of trees and shrubs. It was dampand cool beneath the canopy of leaves.There were many eerie noises. As theyprogressed, Bess said she felt veryuneasy. "Listen!" she commanded tensely."What's that?" "The cooing of a pigeon," Nancyreplied. "Come along, or we'll all havethe jitters." Just ahead stretched a long avenue

of oak trees, which the girls thought mightlead to the castle. They tramped throughthe waist-high grass and came to a vine-tangled, fern-matted bower. Twohandsome stone vases lay on their sides,broken. Apparently rain water had filledthem and frozen during the winter, burstingthe vases. "What a shame this place is beingneglected!" Nancy commented, pausing amoment. "Mr. Hector ought to take care ofit. Surely there must be money in Mr.Heath's estate set aside for that purpose! IfJuliana should come back, she wouldhardly recognize the place." At the end of the oak-lined avenue,the girls came to a weather-stained loggiaof stone. Its four handsomely carved

pillars rose to support a balcony overwhich vines trailed. Steps led to the upperpart. After mounting to the balcony,Nancy and her friends obtained a fineview of the nearby gardens. They hadbeen laid out in formal sections, each onebounded by a stone wall or an untrimmedhedge. Here and there were small circularpools, now heavy with lichens and moss,and fountains with leaf-filled basins. Overthe treetops, about half a mile away, thegirls could see two stone towers. "That's the castle," said George. Amid the wild growth, Nancyspotted a bridge. "Let's go that way," she suggested,starting down from the balcony.

In a few minutes the trio hadcrossed the rickety wooden span. Beforethem lay a slippery moss- grown path. "The Haunted Walk," Nancy readaloud the name on a rustic sign. "Why not try another approach?"Bess said with a shiver. "This gardenlooks spooky enough without deliberatelyinviting a meeting with ghosts!" "Oh, come on!" Nancy laughed,taking her friend firmly by the arm. "It'sonly a name. Besides, the walk may leadto something interesting." Spreading lilac bushes canopiedthe trail. Their branches caught at Nancy'shair and clutched at her clothing.Impatiently she pushed them aside andheld back the branches for her friends to

pass beneath. "I wish we'd gone some otherway," Bess complained. "This is no fun." "I think it is," Nancy replied. "It'smysterious here! It's so-" Her voice trailed away suddenly.George and Bess glanced at her quickly.Nancy was staring directly toward a giantevergreen. "What is it?" Bess demandedfearfully. "Nothing." "You didn't act as if it werenothing," George said to Nancy. "I thought I saw something, but Imust have been mistaken." Despite their coaxing, Nancywould not reveal what had startled her.

For an instant she thought a pair ofpenetrating, human eyes had been staringat the girls from behind the evergreen.Then they had blinked shut and vanished. "It must have been myimagination," Nancy told herself. She walked on hurriedly. As Bessand George sensed her thoughts, they drewcloser to the young detective. Nancyrounded the evergreen and saw that itpartially hid a vine-covered, decayingsummerhouse. The building was empty, but hereye quickly caught a slight quivering of thevines beside the doorway, although therewas no wind. She stopped short, struck bythe realization that someone had beenlurking there! Quietly she told the others.

"I knew we shouldn't have chosenthis walk," Bess muttered. "It is haunted." "Haunted by a human being,"Nancy said grimly. "I wish I knew whowas spying on us!" There was no sign of anyone now.The girls heard neither the rustle of leavesnor the sound of retreating footsteps. "Let's go back to the car," Bessproposed suddenly. "We've seen enoughof this place." "I haven't," Nancy said. "I'mgetting more curious every minute." Not far from the summerhouse wasa stone wall. It occurred to Nancy that theperson who had observed them might havescrambled over it to avoid detection. Sheannounced her intention of climbing up to

make sure. While Bess and George watcheduneasily, Nancy began to scale the vine-covered wall. Near the top, however, shelost her footing. With a suppressed cry,she fell backward! George and Bess helped Nancy toher feet. Although uninjured, she wasvisibly shaken. "I guess I'd better not try thatagain," she said ruefully. "Those are the most sensiblewords I've heard you say today!" Bessdeclared. "Let's get out of here before wefind ourselves in real trouble." "I'm with you," George said. "Ihave an appointment in town, and anyway,it may rain."

Nancy was reluctant to leave theestate without exploring the castle, but shehad noticed that clouds were darkening thesky. "All right," she agreed. "But we'llcome back!" The girls retraced their way acrossthe bridge. From that point on, however,they could not find the right direction tothe road. "We're probably a long way fromthe car," George said finally. "I'll climb atree and see if I can spot it." Nimble as a monkey, she wenthigh among the branches. Then sheshouted down that the river was close byand the road far away. "We've wandered a great distance

from where we started," George reportedas she slid down the tree and pointed outthe route. "We must cut straight throughthose woods ahead." "Are you sure we won't gethopelessly lost?" Bess asked. "Just follow me." Nancy and Bess were quitewilling to have George lead the way. Shepushed ahead confidently, tramping downthe high grass and thrusting aside thornybushes. But as the going became moredifficult, her pace slackened. "It seems to me we're moving in awide circle," Nancy said at last. George paused to catch her breath.Her gloomy silence confirmed Nancy'ssuspicion.

"George, are we lost?" she asked. "I don't know about you," the girlanswered ruefully. "Myself-yes." "It's going to rain any minute, too,"Bess said, sinking down on a mossy log."Oh, why did we come to this horrible,gloomy place? Imagine anyone building ahome here!" "If the roads were opened andsome shrubs cut down, the estate would bevery lovely," Nancy pointed out. After resting for a few minutes thegirls decided to continue their trek. Nancyproved a better pathfinder than Georgeand before long they came to recentlytrampled grass. "Now I know where we are!"Nancy exclaimed Jubilantly. "We're near

the front boundary wall." A few hundred feet farther on theysaw the wall itself and scrambled over it.The trio reached the shelter of the car justas the first raindrops splashed against thewindshield. Fortunately Nancy was ableto drive to the paved highway before theside road became a mire of mud. Shedropped the cousins at their houses, thenwent home. Over a late lunch of milk anda sandwich, she thought about the mystery. "I might get some kind of a leadfrom Walter Heath's will," she decided,"and I'd like to find out where Juliana didher banking. There might be a clue in thelast withdrawals." Nancy called Lieutenant Masters."The police couldn't locate any bank

accounts," the officer told her. "A verylarge sum of money was found in Juliana'sapartment in New York. But she hadseveral bills from stores, and by the timethey were paid from this cash, there wasnothing left." "Then that's a dead end," saidNancy. "How about the will?" "I don't know," said the officer.She agreed to meet Nancy the nextmorning at the courthouse to examine thedocument. Daniel Hector was named assole executor. A quick reading confirmedwhat Mrs. Fenimore had told her. Theentire Heath estate had been bequeathed toJuliana Johnson on the condition that sheclaim it within five years of WalterHeath's death.

One clause in the will heldNancy's attention. It read: "It is my belief and hope thatJuliana still lives and will claim theproperty within the allotted time. Shewill be able to identify herself in aspecial way, thus insuring that noimpostor can receive my estate." "I wonder what that means,"Nancy mused. "I haven't any idea," LieutenantMasters said. They went over the documentagain, but it gave no clue to the way inwhich Juliana might establish her identity. "I must find out what Mr. Heathmeant by this," said Nancy. "Obviouslyit's a very important clue"

CHAPTER VSuspicious Figures

Nancy suggested to LieutenantMasters that they go at once to see Mrs.Fenimore. "She may know by whatspecial means Walter Heath expectedJuliana to identify herself." The young officer agreed. She andNancy drove to the Fenimore house intheir own cars. They found the womanseated in the living room. "Good morning," Mrs. Fenimore,who seemed to be feeling better, greetedthe visitors warmly. She stared anxiouslyat the policewoman. "It's- it's not Joanagain?" "No. In fact, my two rosebushes

have been returned. We came to ask you afew more questions about your sister,"Nancy replied. The woman relaxed but spokewearily. "I'll tell you everything I can. Acouple of years ago I gave up hope thatshe would be found, but I've never toldJoan this." "Then you believe that your sistermay not be living?" Nancy asked soberly. "Oh no. I'm sure Julie is alive,"Mrs. Fenimore replied, "but I'm afraid shemay have disappeared for good, and I'llnever see her again." "Would you give us some personalinformation about your sister?" LieutenantMasters asked kindly. "Was she youngerthan you?"

"No. Julie was seven years older.Our parents died when we were children,and we lived with an aunt who was prettystrict. I never minded Aunt Mattie'sscolding, but Julie, who was high strung,resented it. She took dancing lessonssecretly, and when Aunt Mattie found outand punished her for it, Julie ran away. "For several years Julie dancedwherever she could get an engagement andstudied during her spare moments." The policewoman asked, "Did yousee Juliana often after she becamefamous?" "Only now and then. But shecalled me every week. I was so excitedwhen she became engaged to WalterHeath. It was to be kept from the press, so

of course I told no one." "Could anything have happenedbetween Juliana and Mr. Heath to makeher unhappy enough to disappear?" Nancyasked. Mrs. Fenimore shook her head."Julie was beautiful and talented. He washandsome, wealthy, and kind. They adoredeach other. I'm sure he had nothing to dowith her disappearance." Mention of the deceased estateowner reminded Nancy of the realpurpose of her call. She asked Mrs.Fenimore about the strange identificationclause in the will. "I wondered myself what thatmeant when I read it," the woman replied. "Do you think Daniel Hector might

have an answer?" Nancy asked. Mrs. Fenimore's face darkened."Please don't mention that man's name! Idetest him. All these years he's only beenpretending to search for Julie." "Pretending?" "Once in a while he would call totell me about his attempts to find her butthey sounded half- hearted. Now hedoesn't even phone. I'm sure he's stoppedtrying. I'm counting on you Nancy, to solvethe mystery." Nancy promised to do everythingshe could to trace the missing dancer.Secretly she wondered if she could findthe woman in time to save the inheritancefor her. "May I see a photograph of your

sister?" she requested. "I have a number of excellentones," Mrs. Fenimore replied. "I'll giveyou one. They're in the drawer of thistable." She took them out. There were six,taken years before when the dancer was atthe height of her career. Several wereinscribed with her name and a greeting.The face was a distinctive one. CarefullyNancy noted the perfect features, thebeautiful dark eyes, the straight nose andfirm chin. "Julie may have changed a greatdeal since I last saw her," Mrs. Fenimoreremarked. "Ten years have gone by." "Your sister is lovely," Nancycommented. "Joan looks a little like her."

"Yes, she does. And certainly mydaughter has Julie's vivacious ways. She'squite a little actress. Maybe someday-" Mrs. Fenimore looked sadly intospace. Lieutenant Masters, fearing theconversation had upset the woman, saidthey must leave. "Please try not to worry," Nancyurged Mrs. Fenimore who handed her aphotograph as they said good-bye. When she and the officer reachedtheir cars, Nancy thanked LieutenantMasters for her help. "Call on me any time," the youngwoman said as she drove off. Nancy decided to take a walk andthink about the case. As she wandered up the street,

children were coming home from schoolto lunch. She saw Joan playing with anolder boy in a vacant lot. They weretossing a ball for a dog to retrieve. "That boy looks familiar," Nancythought as she walked over to the children.Suddenly, in a fit of temper, the boy hit thedog with a stick. "Cut it out!" he shouted. "You'rechewing my ball to pieces!" Joan screamed. "Stop that!" Nancy ordered. "Thedog hasn't hurt your ball. He was onlyplaying." The boy gazed at her with hard,unfriendly eyes. "Is he your dog?" heasked impudently. "No."

"Then it's none of your business ifI hit him." Nancy started to reply, but it wasnot necessary. The dog dropped the balland slunk off. The boy picked it up. Then,giving Nancy a baleful look, he ran away. Nancy took Joan by the hand andled her off. As tactfully as possible shesuggested that the child ought to find a girlplaymate. "Teddy Hooper's okay. He's theonly one that lives close to me," Joanreplied, skipping happily along beside hercompanion. "I don't like him when he'smean, but most of the time he's a lot of fun.He always thinks up exciting things to do." "You'd better hurry home tolunch," Nancy said. "I'll go with you. My

car's there." When they reached the house, Joanhugged Nancy, then ran inside. Nancy wassure she had made a firm friend of thelittle girl. "I'm not far from Salty's," theyoung detective said to herself. "I'll drivethere and find out if he has seen that manwho crashed into our boat." In a little while she came to theclam digger's home. The sailor was on theshore repairing his rowboat. "Well, now, me lass, I'm glad tosee you," he said. "But I'm afraid I haven'tgot good news." "You mean about the boat?" "I've looked high an' low for thatdamaged boat," the man said regretfully.

"It's not tied up anywhere along here." "How about Harper's Inlet?"Nancy asked. Salty admitted he had not beenthere. "Too busy," he explained. "MaybeI'll go this afternoon. I need a mess o'clams an' there be some up the inlet. Youwant to come along? I'll show you theHeath factory." For Nancy the opportunity was toogood to pass up. She was eager to visit thespot. "Just tell me when to be here," shesaid. After settling on three o'clock, sheremarked, "I'll bring along one of myfriends." Nancy hurried home for a quick

lunch, then telephoned George. Promptlyat three o'clock the two girls met Salty atthe waterfront. "I'll put ye to work," the sailorchuckled as he gathered together hisfishing and clamming equipment. "Helpme load these into the rowboat, will you?" The old man's muscular armsrippled as he dug the oars into the tranquilwaters of the Muskoka River. Presently heand his passengers were skimming alongat a rapid rate. Behind the craft trailed along copper wire which gleamed in thesunlight. "I'm trollin' for my dinner tonight,"Salty explained. "There's somethin'yankin' on my line right now, I dobelieve!"

He rested the oars and pulled inthe line. Finally a four-pound speckledbass flopped into the boat. "She's a beauty," he said, grinning. While the girls kept the craft fromdrifting downstream. Salty removed thehook from the fish and dropped his catchinto a woven basket. Then he wound upthe copper troll line and put it away. "Fishin's not much good in theinlet," he remarked. "But we'll findclams." The upper river was very still. Asthe boat entered Harper's Inlet some timelater, there was no sound except theoccasional chirping of a bird. Nancyhunched low now and then, to avoid theoverhanging bushes and watched the

coves for a hidden boat. There was none. "It doesn't look as if we're goin' tofind your friend," Salty remarked after hehad rowed a quarter of a mile upstream."We're almost to Heath's button factorynow. I'll anchor here." The man had located a bed ofclams in the shallow water. He asked thegirls to balance his fish basket on thegunwale, then waded in to dig the clamsfrom the mud and sand with his rake. As he tossed them, one by one, hekept singing snatches of familiar seasongs. "Basket's full," Nancy calledseveral minutes later. Salty got into the boat and startedoff again. As they rounded a bend, the

girls saw a large, square building setsome distance back from the shore. Thebanks nearby were littered with discardedbits of clamshells. "That's the Heath button factory,"Salty said. "She's sure gone to pieces." Nancy gazed curiously at theneglected brick structure. Vines which hadgrown up the building's walls lay thick onthe shingle roof and all the windows werebroken. Suddenly Nancy spotted twofigures near the factory entrance. As theyvanished into the building, Salty pointedto an object hidden near some bushes. "A boat!" he exclaimed. "And herprow's damaged, too!" The bow of the boat had been

drawn up on the sand. Nancy and Georgerecognized it immediately as the blue-and-white craft that had struck them! "Oh, Salty, please pull in here!"Nancy begged. As he did, she told him about themen. "Humph!" Salty grunted. "I'll betye a mess o' clams they ain't got no right inthere!" Nancy nodded. "I want to talk tothem. Will you stay here near the damagedboat? If the men come out, try to hold themuntil we get back." The sailor did not like being leftout of the search, but before he couldprotest, the girls were splashing throughknee-deep water to shore.

CHAPTER VIA Mysterious Explosion

Nancy and George had to cross astretch of low, marshy land in order toreach the old button factory. Theirsneakers, already water-soaked, becamecaked with mud. The girls were gratefulfor the high wild grass that screened theirapproach. "You know," Nancy said, "thosetwo men looked familiar." "Who are they?" "I'm not sure, but one of them wasthin and wore a blue cap like the fellowwho crashed into our motorboat. The otherresembled Daniel Hector, the lawyer." While still twenty yards from the

factory, the girls were startled to hear thesound of hammering. The pounding noisecame from inside the building. "I wonder what those men aredoing in there," Nancy said, cautiouslypulling aside the tall vines. "Maybe they're workmen whowere sent to repair the place," Georgereplied. Nancy offered no comment. It waspossible that Daniel Hector had broughtanother man to the property either toinspect it, or to do some work. But sheseriously doubted this. As the girls moved closer, thehammering ceased. Though they waitedseveral minutes, it did not resume. "We may have been seen by the

men," Nancy said. "I hope they haven'tleft." When George and Nancy hadpushed through to the end of the marsh,they saw that the front door to the factorystood wide open. Nancy peered inside. Along corridor opened into several officesand led to a large workroom at the rear.No one was in sight. As the girls started along thehallway, they heard retreating footsteps.They glanced out a dirt-smudged windowand noticed two men running in thedirection of the river. "Oh, Nancy," George exclaimed,"they must have heard us!" "They're going to their boat!"Nancy said excitedly.

Already the men were well hiddenby the high marsh grass. The girls ranquickly toward a rear door, with Nancyfar in the lead. As they neared it,deafening sounds of an explosion filledthe air. The walls of the factory rocked. Ahuge amount of plaster crashed downbetween the girls. "Nancy!" George cried out inpanic as she gazed at the high pile ofdebris that separated them. One wholecorridor wall had caved in. "Nancy must be buried underneathit!" George thought in horror. The air was thick with white dust.Coughing and choking, George franticallybegan to pull away boards and chunks ofplaster.

In the meantime the two men, whohad paused in the tall grass, were justabout to go back to the factory when theyheard someone running up the path. Salty,fearful for the girls' safety, was racingtoward the building, clam rake over hisshoulder. He passed within a few feet ofthe men, but did not see them. "Oh dear! Oh dear!" he keptmumbling. "I hope nothin's happened tothe lassies!" He found George still diggingfeverishly at the pile of debris. "Salty!" the girl cried. "I can't findNancy! She must be buried!" The old man began rakingfuriously at the pile of plaster that blockedthe corridor. At that moment Nancy was

lying stunned on the floor of a closet somedistance from where her friends wereworking. The force of the explosion hadhurled her into the large storage closet,then the door had slammed shut. Thecorridor ceiling had fallen, sealing off theentrance to the closet. When she regained consciousnessNancy found herself in total darkness andwondered where she was. Slowly thedazed girl got to her feet and felt aroundher prison. At last she found a door andtried it. It would not budge, and there wasno other exit. "What'll I do?" she thought. "Andwhere is George?" Suddenly Nancy heard her namebeing called. With all her strength she

pushed against the door. It yieldedslightly. Through the crack she shouted,"George!" "Nancy! Where are you?" came amuffled reply. "Here! In the closet!" Salty and George leaped acrossthe rubble. With the rake and their handsand feet they cleared away enough of thedebris to free Nancy. As she squeezedoutside, Salty mumbled: "Thank goodnessyou're alive!" George embraced her friend inexcited relief. "You feel all right?" "I think so. What caused theexplosion?" Suddenly Nancy recalled the twomen who had run from the building. "What

became of those men who were in here?Did you see them, Salty?" The clam digger shook his head. "Isaw no one." Nancy, George, and Salty plungedthrough the marsh grass toward theriverbank. The damaged motorboat wasno longer there. "Those rascals sneaked away, drat'em!" Salty muttered in disgust. "Do youthink that makes 'em guilty, Nancy?" "Guilty on two counts," the girlreplied. "Guilty of damaging the boat Irented, and most likely, guilty of causingthe explosion." "But why set off an explosion?"George asked. Nancy shrugged. She did not want

to mention any of her theories just yet, butit occurred to her that Daniel Hector mayhave been covering up some incriminatingevidence against himself. Mrs. Fenimorehad vehemently declared that she did nottrust the lawyer. During the trip back to Salty'sdock, the clam digger and the girls kepttheir eyes open for the blue-and-whitemotorboat. But they did not see it. "I'll be glad to take ye on a tripagain," the amiable man offered when theyreached River Heights. Nancy thanked him. On the wayhome she was thoughtful, and could hardlywait for the moment when she could talkto her father. In his den after dinner shetold about Daniel Hector's apparent

connection with the explosion at the Heathbutton factory. "But why would Hector want todamage property he's obligated to lookafter?" Mr. Drew asked. "It doesn't makesense." "I'm sure there's a great deal moreto the Heath case than Juliana'sdisappearance," Nancy declared. "Theexplosion today, for example. There maybe something pretty sinister in back of itall." "I agree with you," Mr. Drew saidsoberly. "Nancy, I know it's useless to askyou to give up trying to solve a mystery-" "Oh, it is, Dad!" "At least I can ask you to becareful. Remember, you're my one and

only daughter." "I'll keep it in mind," she said,hugging him affectionately. "Now, aboutthe Heath affair. Isn't it possible thatHector has been investigating the propertyhimself, hoping to discover the clueWalter Heath mentioned in his will?" "You mean the one by whichJuliana can identify herself beyond alldoubt?" "Yes, Dad. If a dishonest personstumbled upon that clue, it might bepossible for him to have an impostorclaim the fortune." "That wouldn't be so easy, Nancy.A number of persons knew Juliana." "But," Nancy countered, "if shehas been through a terrible experience of

some kind, she could have changed somuch even her own sister wouldn'trecognize her." "True. I follow your reasoning.Nevertheless, any woman who put in aclaim would have to satisfy the court thatit was a just one." Nancy glanced steadily at herfather. "Do you think Mr. Hector hasreally tried to find Juliana? If he isn'thonest-" "Nancy, I don't like to think theman would be involved in anythingunderhanded. I don't approve of hismethods in handling law cases, but thereis no proof that he has actually doneanything dishonest." "But you admit," Nancy said, "that

the Heath case looks suspicious?" "Yes, I do, Nancy." His daughter went on, "I've eventhought that maybe Juliana is being held aprisoner somewhere." Mr. Drew looked surprised. "Inthe castle?" "Who knows?" Nancy replied."Dad, I can't decide where to beginlooking for her. The explosion today kindof changed my plans." "In what way?" "I heard that Walter Heath madescientific experiments at his estate. If Mr.Hector suspects there's a secret withinthose crumbling walls-" Mr. Drew gazed at Nancy. "Younglady, you're leading up to something!" he

declared with a twinkle in his eye. "Outwith it!" "I'm only trying to arouse yourcuriosity," Nancy confessed with a laugh."Why not go to the factory with me? Youmay find a clue I overlooked. I need yourhelp. Dad." "Well, if you put it that way," herfather said, "Actually, I haven't the time tospare, but I'll go to please you." "Tomorrow morning then." "So soon?" "Dad, don't forget, I must solvethis mystery in three weeks!"

CHAPTER VIIA Puzzling Message

Nancy and her father were upearly the next morning. They hastily madebreakfast before Hannah came downstairs,then drove to the lane Mr. Drew knew ledto the damaged button factory. The roadwas in very bad condition, and there wasno gate. "I see why those men came byboat," said Mr. Drew, stopping the carsome distance from the building. "We'llwalk from here." Nancy led the way through thedew-laden grass to the scene of theexplosion. There was no sign of anyonenear the factory.

"The explosion did a good job ofdestruction," the lawyer commented as theDrews cautiously entered the building. "Here's where the wall caved inbetween George and me," Nancyexplained. "Looks as if it might have beendynamited," her father remarked. "Let'ssee if we can find any evidence." For the next half hour father anddaughter scrambled among the rubble.When they discovered nothing ofimportance in the corridor, they decidedto investigate the large workroom at therear. It was necessary to go outside andclimb in through a window to reach theroom, because the inside entrance wasblocked.

"Oh, it's like a ghost town," Nancysaid as she surveyed the rusted machinerycovered with layers of dust. "To think thatthis once was a prosperous factory, Dad."She pointed. "What was this machine usedfor?" "Cutting," her father explained."The mollusk shell is placed inside. Anoperator moves a lever and down comesthe circular steel saw. Presto! A littleshell disk drops into the hopper. Anothermachine slices the disk into pieces ofuniform thickness and there you have somepearl buttons!" "How clever!" said Nancy. "The buttons pass through stillanother machine which polishes them,"Mr. Drew went on. "In the last operation

thread holes are drilled through them." "Dad! Look!" Nancy criedsuddenly. A scrap of torn paper was stickingfrom a comer of the rubble in thedoorway. Near it, in a thick layer of dust,were several footprints. Nancy picked up the paper whichhad part of a message on it. The writingwas bold and read:

Dear C,Somecret which Iin a wallfamousworthy

"Interesting," Mr. Drewcommented, scanning the paper. "But I

can't say that it makes much sense. Thefootprints might be a better clue." He stooped to examine them."Freshly made, no doubt," he said."Perhaps the two men have visited heresince the explosion." "If so, it proves they're searchingfor something they think was hidden andcould be found only by blasting it out." "Not necessarily. The explosioncould have been an accident, or was setoff for some other purpose and may havenothing to do with Juliana's inheritance,"Mr. Drew remarked. Nancy was staring at the torn note."I believe I've stumbled upon aworthwhile clue just the same. I'm sure thepartially missing word is secret"

She pocketed the message andreluctantly left the factory with her father.At home, later on, Nancy spent more thanan hour trying to figure out the missingwords of the note. Who had written them?The paper appeared old, the ink slightlyfaded. "It wouldn't surprise me if WalterHeath had written this," she told HannahGruen. "I know how you might find out!"the housekeeper said. "How?" "Walter Heath was a member ofthe River Heights Historical Societybefore his death. I'm sure the society hasspecimens of his handwriting." "Hannah, you're a genius!" Nancy

cried, giving the woman a hug. "I'm off tothe Historical Society this very minute!" Luck was with the young detective.On labels, books, and pieces of furniturewhich Walter Heath had given to theorganization's museum she found severalsamples of the deceased estate owner'shandwriting. "It's the same as that in the note!"Nancy observed excitedly. "Now, if only Ican find the missing part of the message!But Daniel Hector may have the rest!" Nancy decided to seek her father'said once more and asked him to talk to thelawyer about the Heath case. CarsonDrew did, and then reported to hisdaughter. "Hector certainly was reluctantto discuss the case."

"Didn't he tell you anything?"Nancy asked. "Nothing worth mentioning. Assoon as I spoke of Heath Castle and thebutton factory, he closed up as tight asSalty's clams!" "Did you mention Juliana's name?" "Yes. Mr. Hector stressed that hewas still searching for her." The Heath Castle mystery was nonearer a solution than before. Eager asNancy was to revisit the estate thatafternoon, she found it impossible. Herfather had made her promise not to gothere alone. Neither Bess nor George wasfree to accompany her until the next day. The next day, after Sunday churchservices, the three girls set out in Nancy's

car, carrying a picnic lunch. On the wayNancy explained the latest developmentsin the mystery. She added, "Nothing mustdrive us away from the castle groundsuntil we've investigated every nook andcorner!" Soon the familiar ivy-coveredfront boundary wall loomed ahead. Nancyparked beneath a cool tunnel ofoverhanging trees. The car was wellhidden. She and her friends got out andwalked to the rusty gate and peeredbetween the bars. The grounds seemed asdeserted as ever, but suddenly the girlsheard dogs barking. "Listen!" Nancy exclaimed. Aninstant later she added, "They're inside the

grounds!" "And coming closer," Bess saidnervously. "That settles it. We can'tpossibly go in now!" She wanted to return to the car, butGeorge and Nancy lingered, reluctant toleave. Soon they glimpsed two largeblack-and-white hounds. "Dangerous-looking brutes,"George commented. "Evidently they'vebeen left here on guard." When the dogs saw the intrudersthey barked louder than ever. One of themcame to the gate, growled fiercely atNancy, and clawed the iron bars with hisfront paws. Instead of retreating, she spokesoothingly to him. "Hello, old fellow.

When did you come to live here?" To the amazement of Bess, theanimal began to wag his tail. Nancyreached a hand through the gate and pattedhis head. "Be careful!" Bess warnedsharply. The other dog had stopped barkingand now came forward, too. Nancystroked his head. "These dogs are not vicious," shesaid. "Girls, I'm sure we can explore thegrounds safely." "I'm willing to try if you are,"George said. Bess was afraid of the dogs butagreed to go. "I'll climb over first," Nancy said.

"If they don't attack me, you two follow." George and Bess watched uneasilyas their friend climbed the crumblingwall. On the ledge she hesitated a moment.The dogs had set up a loud barking again.Nancy realized that although the animalshad been friendly to her on the oppositeside of the enclosure, there was noguarantee they would let her enter thegrounds. "Don't attempt it!" Bess called. Nancy spoke gently but firmly tothe hounds. Then, taking a chance, shelowered herself gradually. One of thedogs leaped up to her. Nancy's heart beganto beat wildly, but she showed no fear. "Easy, boy," she murmured. To herrelief, the animal became friendly once

more. "It's all right," Nancy called to herfriends, and continued to pat the hounds.She talked to them as George climbed thewall and leaped down. The dogs did notmake a fuss. As soon as Bess's headappeared, however, they began to snarl. "They'll leave you alone if youdon't show any fear," Nancy assured her. But it was impossible for Bess todo this. "Go on without me," she said aftertwo vain attempts. "I'll wait in the car." "All right," Nancy agreed, addingwith a grin, "Don't eat up all the lunch whilewe're gone!" She and George set off. The dogsremained behind. Soon the girls located

the avenue of trees which led to theloggia. "Here's a path that may go to thecastle," Nancy said as they came to aforked trail. "Maybe." George smiled. "Buthere's a sign that reads To the GoblinGallery." "Let's see where it goes," Nancyurged. They passed a finely chiseledstatuette in a wall niche, lingered amoment to gaze at a rose garden chokedwith weeds, then went on to a clearing.Before them rose an artistic structure. Thesides were formed of slender twistedstone columns, while sprawling over themwas a roof of untrimmed vines supported

by thick stalks. "How pretty!" Nancy saiddreamily. George, surveying the galleryclosely, remarked practically, "It looks asif Father Time has taken over here insteadof the goblins. Those stone columns mighttumble down any minute." Remarking that she was amazedstone could be damaged so greatly byweather, Nancy stooped to inspect thebase of one of the pillars. "George!" sheexclaimed suddenly. "Someone hasdeliberately tampered with these columns.See the marks? They've been weakened-probably with a pickax!" "Why would anyone do that?"George asked.

As the girls looked over the othercolumns, Nancy told George about thenote she had found at the Heath buttonfactory and the word* "in a wall." "I'm sure someone is searchingvarious walls of that old building for anarticle of value," she said. "But why try to destroy theselovely columns?" "Maybe the person didn't find whathe wanted in the walls, and was looking inthe columns." George was not listeningattentively to her friend. Instead, she wasgazing down the path as if transfixed. "What do you see?" Nancy askedin a low voice. George motioned toward the

bushes. "It's an old man!" she whispered."He's pointing his finger at somethingahead of us!" Nancy was startled too when shesaw the man amid the heavy shrubbery.Her pulse quickened as she moved towardthe figure. Nearing it, she laughed softly. "Why, it's only a life-size statue,George!" Embarrassed, her friend went overto inspect the figure. "That pointing finger might have aspecial significance," Nancy said, notingthe path ahead. "Let's see where this takesus." The trail had been nearlyobliterated by weeds. It twisted in and outamong the trees and seemed to lead

nowhere. The girls were about to turnback when Nancy caught a flash of waterin sunlight. The girls made their way throughthe undergrowth and came out on the shoreof a very large pond dotted with rankgrass. George hurried ahead to look at it. "Why do you suppose someonepointed the statue to this? It doesn't looklike any-" Her words ended in a little screamas the soft bank beneath her feet gave way.Before Nancy could grab her, George hadslipped into the water. It was not deep butshe was soaked. "Hypers! Look at me! I'm a mess!"George cried out. "And say, this water iskind of salty."

Nancy helped her friend scrambleup the slippery bank. She gazed about herand noticed a stone house nearby.Apparently it once had been used as a toolshed. "Go in there and get out of yourwet clothes," she advised George. "I'll laythem in the sun. They shouldn't take long todry." Quickly George ducked into thestone house. She tossed her slacks, shirt,and sneakers through an open window.Nancy spread them on the bank in the sun,then started walking around the pond.Suddenly she noticed something shiny onthe bank. It was the shell of a whelk. "How beautiful!" she thought,picking it up. The mother-of-pearl lining

gleamed with a blend of delicate pink andpurple. After a moment's hesitation Nancystripped off shoes and socks and wadedinto the shallow water. When she dippedher hands into the sand, she discoveredthat the bottom was thick with mussels.Among them were discarded shells withthe same lovely blending of colors.Nearby on the shore she spotted a largepile of cracked shells and went to examinethem. "Why are they here?" shewondered. "These are seashore whelks."Then Nancy remembered what Salty hadtold her about dye being obtained fromthis type of shellfish and that Walter Heathhad spent much of his time on scientific

experiments. "Suppose he was using thewhelks to make a special kind of dye!" Nancy tucked two unbroken shellsinto her shirt pocket. As she put on hershoes she thought of the hacked stonecolumns and the explosion at the factory."Someone may be looking for a secretconnected with Walter Heath'sexperiments!" "Nancy!" George called. "Are myclothes dry?" Nancy rose and felt them. "Notyet." "I'm getting hungry," Georgecomplained. "And Bess will have a fit ifwe don't go back soon." At that moment Bess was fuming inNancy's concealed car. As the sun

climbed high overhead and the girls failedto return, she became hungry and annoyed. "Guess they've forgotten me," shethought. To add to her irritation, thehounds would dash back to the gatewhenever she walked over to look throughit. They bayed savagely. "Oh," Bess fretted, "wait until Isee Nancy and George. I'll-" Just then she heard a car comingup the road. Bess barely had time to hideherself in the bushes before it swungaround the bend. She was glad that shehad followed her instinct for she was surefrom Nancy's description that the driverwas Daniel Hector. He was alone. The lawyer stopped in front of thegate but did not shut off the engine. He got

out of his two- door car, leaving the dooron his wide open. "He's going to drive into thegrounds!" Bess thought. "Nancy andGeorge will be caught! I must warn them!" Her anxiety mounting, Bess triedto think what to do. Mr. Hector still hadhis back turned toward her as he unlockedthe big gates. The car was less than tenfeet away from her hiding place. Therewas little time for Bess to think or plan.Impulsively she darted to the car. Afterclimbing into the back, she crouched onthe floor. Hector returned to theautomobile. Unaware of his passenger, hedrove through the opening into the estategrounds!

CHAPTER VIIILocked In!

"George, would you mind if I do alittle exploring?" Nancy asked. "I'll beback by the time your clothes are dry." "Okay," George called. "I'm not going far. I've found somewhelk shells, and I think they may indicatesomething important. Maybe dye madefrom them is hidden in containers nearby." "They're not in here," George said. Nancy moved off, looking aboutcarefully for any possible place wheredye might have been stored. She foundnone, and in her search wandered fartherthan she had intended. Nancy paused abruptly as she

became aware of a low rumble whichshook the earth. "What's that?" shewondered. She stood still and waited formore sounds, but there were none. In thedistance, however, a cloud of white,powdery dust caught her attention. "Another explosion!" shemurmured excitedly. Cautiously Nancy went toward thearea, but soon her path was blocked by ahigh brier hedge. After following thebushes some distance to find an opening,the young detective was startled to hear acar. "Somebody with a key to the gatepadlock must have driven into the estategrounds!" she thought.

As the sound drew nearer, Nancydecided to find out who was coming. Sheplunged through the woodland andreached a weed-grown clearing just asDaniel Hector drove up and stopped.Nancy backed quickly into the shelter ofthe bushes. The lawyer did not see her. Heparked his car under a gnarled maple, gotout, and set off on foot. "I'll follow him," Nancy decided. Mr. Hector walked so fast that shecould scarcely keep him in sight. Heseemed thoroughly acquainted with thelayout of the trails, for he never hesitatedwhen he came to a turn. Before long theman vanished from view. When Nancy came to a fork in thepath, she wondered which way he had

gone. Fearful she would lose track of himentirely. Nancy pressed her ear to theground and very faintly could discern asteady beat to her right. She hastened on.Presently the trail branched off in threedirections. Again Nancy was baffled.When she flattened herself on the groundthis time, she could hear nothing. "I've lost him!" she thought indismay. Nancy chose a path at random andwent on doggedly. She was so intent onher sleuthing she completely forgot aboutGeorge and Bess. Meanwhile Bess, still hidden inDaniel Hector's car, was wondering whatto do. "I'd better find George and Nancy,"she decided. She cautiously climbed out

and started up the trail the lawyer hadtaken. Bess had not gone far when thedogs began to bark. They were comingcloser each moment! "They've picked up my scent!"Bess was in a panic. The hounds leaped into view. Interror, Bess shinned up a tree and hopedthe dogs would pass by. Instead they tookup a vigil at the base of the trunk. By this time George had growntired of waiting for Nancy to return to thetool house. From the window she couldsee her clothes, apparently dry, on thesunny bank of the pond. "I can't wait another minute!" shethought impatiently. "I'll get them myself!" George went to the door and

stopped short. A boy in faded overalls hademerged from among the trees. He seemedto be eleven or twelve years old. George slipped out of sight behindthe door and watched him. He suddenlysnatched up her clothes and hurried off. "Hey, you! Those are mine!"George cried angrily from the window. The boy paid no attention. "Hypers!" George thought indespair. "Now what'll I do? Nancy's donea disappearing act, and I'm stranded herewithout any clothes!" Nancy, unaware of her friends'problems, was intent on another subject.The trail she had chosen had not led her toDaniel Hector, but to Heath Castle. Shecould not resist the temptation to see the

wonderful building at close range. Itsbeauty, even at a distance, awed her. Itwas constructed of massive gray stonecovered with ivy. The roof line wasbroken by several turrets, a large one ateach end of the residence, with smallerones in between. "It's a perfect copy of an oldEnglish castle," Nancy thought, "onlysmaller." Curious, she began to circle thecastle walls. "What a pity this statelyhome has to stand in the midst of ruinedgardens!" she mused. A massive side door of the bighouse stood ajar. Nancy wondered if Mr.Hector had opened it. Quietly she slippedinside. She found herself in a long

corridor which twisted and turned crazily.Large rooms lined with beautiful paneledwood opened from it. Many were empty,others contained a few pieces of fine oldmahogany furniture. At a glance it wasapparent to Nancy that nearly everythingof value had been removed from the place. "Odd," she said to herself. "Ithought the castle was left to Julianaintact. Did thieves break in or did Hectorsell the furniture?" The inside wooden shutters in thegloomy rooms were closed, lending aghostly appearance to the few sheet-draped chairs. The unexpected sight ofherself in a long mirror gave Nancy astart. Before long she found steps

leading to the second floor. A search ofthe rooms there, including the manyclosets, revealed nothing of specialinterest. "The only places left to visit arethe towers," Nancy thought. "But how do Iget into them?" She could locate no entrance.Then, glancing from a window, sherealized that the castle was built around ahollow square which was another tangledgarden. Nancy figured that some of thesmaller turrets actually were bedrooms.The high towers must be separate, withdoors opening from the courtyard. Nancy hurried down the stairwayto hunt for an exit to the inner garden. Atlength she found a door in the shadows of

the corridor. After tripping the bolt so shewould not lock herself out, Nancy steppedinto the sunshine. She glanced around anddiscovered that her guess had been right.There were entrance doors to the twohigh, round towers. She opened the one onher left. It held one room which had a lowceiling and contained nothing. The walls,however, had been chipped and damaged. "Even the castle hasn't escaped thehackers!" Nancy mused. She turned herattention to the other tower, glad that themassive door to it was unlocked. It washollow and only dimly lighted by a highwindow. A circular iron stairway led to asmall balcony at the top. Nancy looked around on the

ground floor but saw nothing of interest.She climbed up and found a little door atthe head of the stairway. Cautiouslypushing on it, she peered beyond. As hereyes became accustomed to the somberlight, she saw that there was nothing in thetiny room, nor on the open parapet beyondit. In disappointment, Nancy leaned on thewide rail. "All this work just to get a view,"she thought. "But at least I have an idea ofthe layout." Suddenly her attention focused ona figure running far in the distance. A boyhad moved toward the wall and wascarrying a bundle under his arm. Justbefore he disappeared from sight behindtall trees, he dropped something. It looked

like a pair of slacks. "Oh, my goodness!" Nancy thoughtwith a fearful pang of conscience. "Maybehe stole George's clothes! I should neverhave left her alone at the tool house. Andthe boy looked like Teddy Hooper!" The youngster appeared again, butthis time outside the walls, running acrossthe beach toward a boat. "There must be away out besides the main gate," Nancythought. Since the boy was much too faraway for her to call him, she quicklyretraced her steps to the courtyard doorbelow. When she tried to pull it open, thedoor would not budge. She yanked andyanked. Finally she realized thatsomebody must have locked it! She tried

the key she had to the castle, but it did notfit. She was a prisoner in the tower! "Oh, I must get out!" shemurmured. Nancy refused to panic and toldherself there must be some way to escape!She returned to the open parapet andlooked about. It was a forty-foot drop tothe ground and there was no possible wayto climb down the tower wall. Thoroughly discouraged. Nancywent to try the locked door again. As shetwisted the knob vainly, she heard voices.Her heart leaped! Two men were outside. "We'll get caught, I tell you!" onewas arguing in a loud voice. "And if wedo, the old man'll say he never saw us

before!" Nancy wondered if "the old man"might be Hector. "Oh, quit worrying," the other mangrowled. "Just leave the brainwork of thisjob to me. We'll find that clue yet. It'ssomewhere in one of the walls of theestate." "Yeah? Which wall?" the first manasked sarcastically. "The place is full ofthem. Anyhow, I'm satisfied with whatwe've found and kept." "When he sees allthe walls we've blasted, he can't say wedidn't do a pretty thorough job for him."The other snickered. The voices faded out, and Nancyassumed that the two speakers had movedaway. Who were they? Their voices had

been unfamiliar. "Well, a few of my theories areconfirmed, anyway," Nancy said toherself. "The walls of Heath Castle andthe gardens have been damageddeliberately, and on orders from a personwho wants to find a valuable secret." Nancy hoped to catch a glimpse ofthe men and returned to the parapet. Shedid not see them, but a moment later heardthem whistling and calling to the dogs.Then all became quiet. "They've gone," Nancy thought inrelief. "Maybe I should have let themknow I was in here when I had the chance.But no, they're not honest, and theyprobably would have ruined all my plans.I'll get out somehow!"

Nancy was in a predicament,nevertheless. George, stranded withoutclothes at the tool house, could not helpher. Bess, she assumed, was still waitingin the parked car outside the castle gate. Nancy roved restlessly about theground floor of the tower in her vainsearch for an exit. Looking at her watchfor the first time, the imprisoned girl wasamazed to discover that it was after fouro'clock-and she was hungry! "By this time Bess and Georgemust be pretty annoyed with me," shethought guiltily. While Nancy worried, Bess wasperched in a tree a considerable distancefrom the castle. Surrounded by thewatchful dogs, she would not descend for

fear they might tear her to pieces! Badlyshaken and near tears, she suddenly hearda whistle. The dogs pricked up their ears,then raced away. "Thank goodness," Bess gasped,sliding down from her leafy prison. So much time had elapsed shedecided it would do no good to look forNancy and George. If they had notencountered Mr. Hector already, theysurely would have returned to the car. "I'll go back there," Bessconcluded. "But which way?" Hopelessly confused, she startedoff. After a while Bess came to the estatewall. Just ahead of her she noticedsomething in the grass. "George's slacks!" Bess thought

with a start. There was no sign of eitherher cousin or Nancy. Bess could notbelieve that they had gone for a swim. Asshe picked up the slacks, she wonderedapprehensively what had happened. "This path seems to run along thewall," Bess said to herself. "If I take it, Ishould get back to the gate eventually." But she found that the trail changeddirection. Instead of the main gate shereached a large pond. "Oh, where am I?" Bess fretteddesperately. Suddenly she heard her namecalled. She whirled around. No one wasin sight. A few yards away stood a stonetool house, its window hidden byoverhanging branches.

"Bess!" George shoutedimpatiently. "Over here! I'm in the toolhouse!" Bess hastened to the smallbuilding and looked inside. "I've been stranded here forhours!" George fumed. "How did you lose your clothes?" "I fell into the water and took themoff to dry. Nancy put them on the bank.Then she went off to do some exploring. Aboy came along and ran away with mythings!" "How terrible! What became ofNancy?" "I wish I knew. She's been gone along while. But tell me, how did you getup your courage to climb the wall?"

When Bess told of her secret ridewith Hector, George burst into laughterdespite her worry about Nancy. Then she sobered. "Hector is onthe grounds! Maybe Nancy ran into him!" The cousins were not sure whatthey should do. Finally Bess said, "Let'sgo back to the car. Nancy might be there." "How can I go anywhere likethis?" George cried. Bess handed the girl her slacks. "Ifound these by the wall. The boy musthave dropped them. And you can wear mysweater. I'll be warm enough in myblouse." George put on the clothes and wasrelieved to find her sneakers still lyingnear the bank of the pond. The girls

hurried off. Without meeting anyone, or beingattacked by the dogs, they managed to findtheir way to the front wall and climbedover. Nancy was not in the car. "Let's drive to town and get help,"Bess said. "Nancy has the car keys!" "Oh, I'd forgotten. Well, we are inan awful mess!" "We'll have to find Nancy, that'sall there is to it," Bess declared. Each of the girls ate a sandwichfrom the picnic lunch, then started to scalethe wall again. On the ledge theyhesitated. The dogs had come back andbegan to growl fiercely. "Maybe if we feed them-" Georgesaid. She got the rest of the sandwiches

from the car. At the sight of the food thehounds became friendly, but the instantthey had gobbled it up, they lay down onthe ground, panting. Again and againGeorge tried to descend, but each time thedogs rose menacingly. Bess would not even try to re-enter the grounds. "It's no use," she said. "I suppose you're right," Georgesaid, and jumped down on the outside. "Tell you what," Bess said. "Youstay here and I'll go for help!"

CHAPTER IXTrap Door

For hours Nancy had refused toacknowledge that there was no means ofescape from the tower. She had pried atthe lock with a nail file from her bag. Shehad tried to break the door panels by sheerforce, but their strength had defied her. Now she wandered aimlesslyabout the dimly lighted circular room.Hungry and thirsty, she grew more andmore desperate. What had become ofGeorge? And Bess? In utter dismay Nancyrealized that she had the car keys with her.She sank down on the bottom step of thewinding iron staircase to try to figurethings out. Staring straight ahead at the

dusty wooden floor, she thought, "This isthe worst trap I've ever been in!" Suddenly she became aware ofsomething in the floor. A tiny crackoutlined a space about three feet square.Because of the gloom and dust, she hadnot noticed it before. "Speaking of traps," Nancymuttered, "maybe this is a trap door!" Quickly she dropped to her handsand knees and inspected the crack.Obviously it marked the outline of anopening, but there was no ring or handlewith which to pull up the wood. Nancypried at first with her fingers, then withthe nail file. The slender bit of steelsnapped in her hands! "Oh, how can I get this door

open?" she thought, looking for somethingheavier. There was not a single object inthe tower room. After a while she sighedin despair. The room seemed to begrowing stuffy. Or was it because she feltalmost ill from hunger? Her tongueparched and her head aching, she slowlyclimbed the stairs and went out on theparapet for some fresh air. The sky became overcast. In ashort time it would be almost dark. Exceptfor the occasional hoot of an owl and theintermittent croaking of frogs, there wasno sound. Then suddenly Nancy heardapproaching footsteps. Her first impulsewas to shout, but intuition warned her to

remain silent. Cautiously she looked over theparapet. A man was unlocking the door farbelow her! He snapped on a flashlight andentered the tower. Nancy's heart pounded.Should she walk boldly down the stairsand try to bluff her way out? "No," she decided. "I'm suresomething sinister is going on at HeathCastle, and this man probably is involved.Maybe I can get out of here while he'sbusy. He may have opened that trap doorand gone below." Nancy tiptoed across the littlebalcony room. Suddenly a light flashedthrough the open doorway. The beammissed her by a fraction of an inch! As she shrank into the shadows,

Nancy heard the man coming up the ironstaircase. With sinking heart, she steppedin back of the door and pressed herselfagainst the wall. The intruder went directly to theparapet. As Nancy peered out, he began toflash his light slowly as if he weresignaling. The backward reflection of therays dimly revealed his face. Nancy hadnever seen this cruel-looking man before.Though the young detective longed towatch what he was doing, she dared notlinger. Silently she slipped through thedoor and darted down the steps. Uponreaching the courtyard garden, she hurriedto the arched doorway. Luckily it was stillunlocked. Nancy groped her way through the

dark corridor in the castle. A moment latershe bumped her knee into a piece offurniture and struck it so hard that shenearly cried out in pain. Precious minuteswere lost as she carefully felt along wallsfor a door to the grounds. At last herefforts were rewarded. With a deep sighof relief, she rushed into the open. "What an adventure!" Nancyshuddered. "Now if only I can find Georgeand Bess!" Nancy made her way back to thetool house. It was empty. From there shewalked toward the main gate, but becauseof weed-grown paths and treacherousrocks it took her quite a while before shesaw the vague outline of a wall ahead ofher.

"I hope it's close to the gate," shethought. "Oh-" Something was moving through thebushes. In an instant the stillness wasbroken by the sharp barking of dogs. "Can I make it?" Nancy wondered.She leaped for the wall and scrambled upjust as the two hounds arrived.Breathlessly she dropped to the other side.Five minutes later she came to the car. Toher amazement and delight George washuddled on the back seat. She was halfasleep. "George!" The girl sat bolt upright. "Nancy!" "I'm so sorry I left you," Nancyapologized, then asked, "Where's Bess?" "Gone to get your father. What in

the world happened to you?" "Plenty. But first, tell me whattime Bess left." "It seems hours ago. It's a longwalk to a bus or a phone. Somebodyshould be here any minute, though." As the girls sat in the car, they toldeach other their adventures. "After Bess left," Georgeconcluded, "I heard a noise in thedistance. I hid in the bushes near the gate.Mr. Hector drove out. While he waslocking the gate, I peeked into his car tosee if you were there. I really expectedyou to be lying on the floor, bound andgagged!" "I was a prisoner, all right, but nottied up."

"I'd like to find the boy who tookmy clothes," George said grimly. "Did you recognize him?" "I never saw him before. He wasabout twelve years old. But I'd like towring his neck." "I spotted him from the tower,"Nancy said. "He looked like TeddyHooper, but I'm not sure." George changed the subject."Where do you suppose that man in thetower came from. No one besides Hectordrove in here." "He must have entered from thebeach, the way the boy did," Nancyreplied. Headlights cut the darkness. Was itCarson Drew? Or was Daniel Hector

returning? The two girls ducked out of sight.The car stopped and Bess alighted. "Why, George is gone!" sheexclaimed. "No, she isn't," her cousin spokeup, coming out of hiding. Nancy was already running to thecar from which her father had stepped. Inan instant she was in his arms. "Why, Dad, you're trembling!" shesaid. "Nancy, Nancy, I'm so glad to seeyou. You gave me such a fright. Where-?" "I'm sorry I made a mess ofthings," his daughter apologized. "Butmaybe you'll forgive me when you hearwhat happened."

"Tell me about it on the way back.Bess can drive George and herself homein your car. We'll follow them, and youcan take the car the rest of the way." On the drive to River Heights Mr.Drew listened to Nancy's story withoutcomment. "I'm convinced," she concluded,"that a group is searching for something atHeath Castle. The walls there aren'tcrumbling from age. They're beingtampered with!" "I agree it looks mightysuspicious," Mr. Drew said. "And DanielHector seems to be involved. But supposeyou put the whole case out of your minduntil you've had a square meal." Upon reaching home, Nancy wentdirectly to the kitchen. Hannah Gruen, who

had been nearly beside herself withworry, embraced the girl. "You poor child!" she said. "I'llfix you a warm supper right away." Hannah hastened to prepare themeal. Too hungry to wait, Nancy helpedherself to a glass of milk and a fewcookies. As she ate and drank, she relatedher adventure to the housekeeper. "Oh, Nancy!" Mrs. Gruen sighed."Your love of mystery will prove yourundoing! You must be more careful." Mr. Drew said, "I think you'dbetter stay away from Heath Castle." "Oh, Dad!" she protested. "Why not forget the whole affairfor a few days?" "But time is so short-"

"As it happens, I'm going away ona little trip, Nancy. I thought you mightenjoy coming along." Nancy shook her head. "If you'llexcuse me, Dad, I believe I'd rather stayhere and try to solve the mystery ofJuliana." "I'm sorry," Mr. Drew said, hiseyes twinkling. "I thought Hampton mightprove of interest to you, especially since itwas the town where Juliana Johnson wasadvised to go." Nancy could scarcely believe herears. "Say that again, Dad!" "I was talking with Dr. Gibson inHenryville today," Mr. Drew revealed. "Ilearned he was Juliana's physician. In fact,he told her to take the trip from which she

never returned." "Tell me more!" "There's not much to tell. Julianawas thin and run-down, so the doctoradvised her to take a vacation. Hesuggested she slip off to a quiet placewithout letting anyone know where shewas going." "Did the doctor know where shewent?" "No, but he had suggestedHampton. At the time of herdisappearance, the police tried to locateher there, but were unsuccessful." "Oh, Dad, I give in," Nancy saidexcitedly. "I'll go with you!" "I rather thought you would," Mr.Drew said with a smile.

"When do we leave?" "Tomorrow morning. Better packtonight!"

CHAPTER XIn Search of a Clue

When Nancy appeared in thekitchen the next morning, Hannah Gruensaid cheerily, "Good morning. There's aletter for you I think you'll want to seeright away." Nancy went to the hall table to getit. A glance at the handwriting caused herpulse to quicken. The letter was from NedNickerson! Nancy eagerly opened theenvelope. She missed her special friendwho had gone to South America on aschool project. Ned wrote, "I'm doing someinteresting work, but I miss you and the

fun we had solving mysteries. I'll betyou're head over heels in one this veryminute!" "Right you are, Ned!" Nancysmiled happily as she tucked the letteraway for another reading. Mr. Drew camedownstairs and said they should eat atonce and then leave. Nancy suggested thatthey stop at Mrs. Fenimore's house. Shewanted to ask a question about Juliana. "All right," Mr. Drew agreed. Mrs. Fenimore said she was happyto see Nancy again and pleased to meether father. "We're en route to Hampton," Mr.Drew explained. "I've given your sister'sstrange disappearance considerablethought. Apparently she abandoned her

career very suddenly." "Oh, Juliana loved her work!"Mrs. Fenimore protested. "Of course, shewas tired, but a few weeks' rest shouldhave restored her to good health." Nancy remarked. "But afterleaving here, Juliana never danced again-at least not under her own name. She maybe doing some other kind of work. Didyour sister have any special aptitudes forsomething besides dancing?" Mrs. Fenimore shrugged. "Sheloved gardening." There was nothing more thewoman could tell the Drews, so Nancyand her father said good-bye. "You know," the lawyercommented as he led the way to the car,

"Juliana may have married." "But, Dad, she was engaged toWalter Heath!" "True. Well, perhaps in Hamptonwe'll find a clue to her disappearance." Mr. Drew got into the car. Nancywas about to follow when she observed athin, sharp-faced woman with unkempthair hanging clothes in the yard adjoiningthe Fenimore house. "That must be Teddy Hooper'smother," she thought. Her attention wasnot centered on the woman, but on theclothes she was pinning to the line. A blueshirt looked familiar to Nancy. "If that isn't George's stolen shirt,it's just like it!" she decided. On impulseshe ran over to the yard. The woman saw

her coming and eyed the girl suspiciously. "Is Teddy here?" Nancy inquired. "No. He's at school, same as everyday." Nancy asked Mrs- Hooper ifTeddy liked to go boating on the river. "All boys play around the water,"the woman answered. Then she addedquickly, "He ain't been on the river lately,though." Nancy was convinced Mrs.Hooper was not telling the truth. "That's alovely shirt," she went on. "Ain't I got a right to have nicethings, like other folks?" the womandemanded defiantly. "Why, certainly," Nancy saidevenly. But she was still sure the shirt

belonged to George. "You must be another one of thosesnoopy policewomen!" Teddy's mothersnapped. "Well, I won't talk to you!" Shesnatched the shirt from the line and hurriedinto the house. Nancy returned to the car andrelated the conversation to her father. "Imust talk to Teddy when we get back," sheadded. The Drews started for Hampton.An unexpected detour extended the trip bymany miles, and a lunch with slow servicedelayed them. They did not arrive untiltwo-thirty at the Hampton Motel. "Meet me here at six, Nancy," thelawyer said and drove off. The young detective decided there

was no use going to the usual places tomake inquiries about Juliana, since thepolice had investigated them years ago. "If Juliana wanted to live hereincognito, where would she go?" Nancyasked herself. She felt that inconspicuoustourist homes might be the answer. She hurried to the Chamber ofCommerce and obtained a list ofguesthouses. With the photograph ofJuliana for identification of the dancer,she walked from one house to another.Some of the owners recognized thewoman in the picture, but none had renteda room to her. Finally Nancy rang thedoorbell of the last place on her list. Aftera few minutes a small, gray-haired womanappeared.

"If you're looking for a room, I'mafraid I'll have to disappoint you," shesaid before Nancy could speak. "I don'ttake guests any more." "I don't want a room," Nancyreplied with a smile. "I came to ask aboutsomeone who might have stayed with youat some time." She showed thephotograph. "Come in," the woman saidcordially. "I think I can help you!" Nancy's heart leaped. Could it betrue? "I'm Mrs. Delbert," the womansaid as she led her caller into a neat, old-fashioned living room. "You are-?" "Nancy Drew. I'm a stranger in

Hampton. What name did your guest giveyou?" "Let me think. I remember now.She was Miss Flower. Julia Flower. Isshe a friend of yours?" "Mrs. Delbert, it she really wasthe person in this picture, she was afamous dancer who disappeared ten yearsago. I know her sister." It was Mrs. Delbert's turn to lookshocked. "My, my!" she said. "Howdreadful! It was ten years ago that she washere." "Just one more question: Did MissFlower say where she was going after sheleft here?" "Yes, she spoke of staying on a

farm between Hopewell and Plainville,but she didn't tell me the name of thepeople." "Is it far from here?" Nancy asked. "About thirty miles. Miss Flowersaid she'd take the bus and walk into thefarm from the main road. All she had wasa purse and a small suitcase." "You have a terrific memory,"Nancy said. Mrs. Delbert smiled. "JuliaFlower was the most beautiful guest I everhad!" Nancy got up and put an armaround the woman. "Thank you so much,"she said. "You've been a great help." Aftersaying good-by, Nancy hurried back to themotel and told her father what she had

learned. "You've done well. Nancy, andpicked up an excellent clue. You shouldhave a reward for that good bit ofdetecting." Nancy grinned. "As a reward, willyou take me to Plainville when you finishyour work here?" "Yes, indeed. I'll be through bynoon tomorrow." The Drews checked out at twelveo'clock the next day and drove towardPlainville. When they came to Hopewell,Nancy suggested they inquire at policeheadquarters about the missing dancer. She spoke to a middle-agedsergeant and showed him Juliana's picture.He looked at it thoughtfully and finally

said: "I don't know that this will help you,but about ten years ago another officer andI were called on an accident case. Ayoung woman had been struck by a car ona side road and was found unconsciousand badly bruised. Hit-and-run driver andno witnesses. She was taken to a hospitalin Plainville. No identification or purse orluggage." "Probably stolen," Mr. Drewcommented. "She looked a little like the personin this photograph," the officer went on."A funny thing about the case was, whennurses undressed her at the hospital, theyfound several thousands of dollars onher." "Did the police find out why?"

Nancy asked. "No. She insisted she had drawn itfrom her savings account because she wastraveling. Why don't you stop at thehospital? Maybe they can answer yourquestions." Nancy said she was grateful forthis good lead. She returned to the car andtold her father. They set off at once for thehospital. The superintendent received themcourteously. After hearing their story, sheshowed them some old records. No one bythe name of Juliana or Julie Johnson hadbeen a patient at the institution, but a JuliaFlower had been! Only the word"traveler" had been written in the spacefor the home address.

The superintendent anticipatedNancy's next question. "Where did she goafter she was released from here? I don'tknow." Seeing the girl's disappointment,she said, "You might talk to Joe. He's beenour maintenance man for twenty years. Afriendly fellow. And his memory forpatients is amazing." While Mr. Drew waited in thelobby, Nancy went to the basement to findJoe. When she showed him thephotograph, a wide grin spread over hisface. "Indeed I remember that girl. Shecalled herself Julia Flower. I felt sorry forher when she left here in a wheelchair.She was crying her eyes out as the nurse

rolled her to the elevator." "Why was she crying?" Nancyasked. "I overheard Dr. Barnes tell MissFlower she'd never be able to walkproperly again." "Is Dr. Barnes still with thehospital?" "No. He went to New York tohead up a large clinic." "How about nurses who took careof her?" Nancy inquired. "I remember one. She was nice-Miss Emily Foster. I don't know whatbecame of her." "Do you have any idea where MissFlower went?" Joe shook his head. "She didn't

say." The man's information threw newlight on the mystery. Nancy thanked himand hurried back to her father. "Such an injury could haveprevented Juliana from ever dancingagain," she said. Mr. Drew nodded. "The thought ofher admirers feeling pity for her may havebeen too much for Juliana to bear. Perhapsshe dropped out of sight on purpose!" "She probably took an assumedname in order to avoid publicity, thendisappeared because she didn't want to bea burden to her sister," Nancy said."Juliana's pride kept her from marryingWalter Heath." Nancy paused a moment."Oh, Dad, we're really getting

somewhere!" At the main desk Nancy and herfather tried to obtain the doctor's and thenurse's address. "Dr. Barnes died three years ago,"the receptionist said. "As for EmilyFoster, I have an old address, but Iunderstand she left the place some timeago. However, the people who live theremight be able to tell you where she is." While Mr. Drew registered at thelocal motel for his daughter and himself,Nancy hurried on foot to the designatedaddress. To her disappointment she foundthe residence occupied by new tenantswho had never heard of Emily Foster. "Another blind alley!" Nancysighed as she started back to join her

father. As she walked along the streetNancy became aware of a man walking alittle distance behind her. At first shethought nothing of it, but after three blocksshe concluded someone must be followingher. Nancy quickened her pace. Aftersix blocks, she still had not shaken theperson and decided to get a good look athim. She dropped her handbag on purpose.As she turned to pick it up, Nancy gazeddirectly at the man. He wore a brown suitand had a sharp, angular face and darkeyes. When he realized that Nancy knewshe was being followed, he wheeledaround and turned down a side street.

"He was tailing me!" Nancythought. She had never seen the man beforeand wondered why he was trailing her.She was eager to tell her father, but foundthat he had invited a client to dinner. Byten o'clock, after the caller had gone, shehad stopped thinking about the incident. Before retiring, father anddaughter sat down in Mr. Drew's bedroomto discuss the mystery. "Isn't Emily Foster our best leadyet?" Nancy asked. Mr. Drew did not answer; in fact,for several seconds he had not beenpaying strict attention to Nancy'sconversation. Now, so suddenly that theyoung detective was startled, he tiptoed to

the door and yanked it open. A man in a brown suit crouchedjust outside. Thrown off balance, he fellforward into the room.

CHAPTER XIA Warning

"So you were eavesdropping!" Mr.Drew said sternly as he pulled the man tohis feet. "No, that's not true!" the fellowstammered. After recovering his balance,he tried to retreat. Mr. Drew blocked the doorway."Sit down!" he ordered the man into theroom. "We want to talk to you." Nancy recognized the man as theone who had followed her. "What were you doing outside mydoor?" Mr. Drew asked him sharply. "Nothing," he replied in a sullenvoice. "I thought this room belonged to a

friend." "That's hard to believe, but easyenough to check. What's his name?" "None of your business." "I can turn you over to the police."Nancy spoke up. "I can report to them thatyou trailed me today!" The stranger squirmed uneasily inthe chair. "You can't prove anything!" "This man followed you today?"Mr. Drew asked his daughter in surprise. "Yes. I forgot to tell you about it." "That settles it," the lawyer said."We'll turn him over to the police forquestioning." "No, no! Don't do that! I'll tellanything you want to know-except myname," the stranger said.

"Very well." The lawyer nodded."Why were you following my daughter?" "Because I was paid to do it." "By whom?" "I don't know the guy's name." "What were your instructions?" "To make a complete report onwhere Miss Drew went, whom she talkedto, and what she did." Mr. Drew turned so that the mancould not see him full face. With a winkand a quick movement of his hand hesignaled Nancy to step into the adjoiningroom. For a moment the young detectivewas puzzled. Then it dawned upon her thather rather wanted her to slip quietlydownstairs and arrange to have thestranger followed.

"So you won't tell us your name?"Mr. Drew repeated, facing the strangeronce more and walking up so close to himthe man could not see Nancy. "No. I won't," the man replied. Nancy stole noiselessly into theadjoining room. She hastened downstairsand used a public telephone to call policeheadquarters. After identifying her fatherand herself, she said, "Please send aplainclothesman at once. I'll meet him inthe lobby and explain everything when hearrives. How will I know him?" "He'll pretend to have a bad cold,"the officer said. Nancy was worried that thedetective might not reach the hotel in time.But in less than five minutes a man entered

coughing uncontrollably. She told him whyhe had been called and asked him to trailthe eavesdropper. "Here he comes now!" shewhispered as the brown-suited strangeremerged from an elevator. "He must notsee me!" She hid behind a pillar and noticedwith satisfaction that the eavesdropper didnot realize he was being followed fromthe hotel. Then she went upstairs. Mr. Drew praised his daughter torhaving interpreted his signals correctly."By the way," he asked, "have you calledHannah since we left home? There may besome messages for us." At once Nancy dialed the Drewnumber. Hannah Gruen answered.

"I'm glad you phoned," she said. "Itried to reach you in Hampton, but you hadalready left." "Is anything wrong?" "Mrs. Fenimore called thismorning and wanted to see you." "Mrs. Fenimore?" Nancy echoedin curiosity. "Did she say why shecalled?" "She wouldn't tell me over thephone," Hannah resumed. "When I told heryou weren't home, she said you had to bewarned to be careful." "Careful of what?" "She thinks you're in danger. Oh,Nancy, I'll be so relieved when you'rehome again safe and unharmed." "We'll be back tomorrow," Nancy

assured her. "Don't worry." After completing the call Nancyspeculated on why Mrs. Fenimore thoughtthe young detective was in danger. Couldthe woman have learned that Nancy was tobe shadowed? It was too late, shedecided, to call Mrs. Fenimore. "I'll seeher tomorrow." Nancy and her father waited untilmidnight to hear from the plainclothesman.When he failed to return to the hotel, theytelephoned headquarters. The officer hadnot checked in yet. In the morning therewas no word either, so Mr. Drewrequested that a full report be sent to himin River Heights. After Nancy arrived home in theafternoon, she lost no time calling on Mrs.

Fenimore. The woman was reclining on acouch. She was exhausted from strain andworry. "I shouldn't have become soupset," she said. "But Mr. Hector's attitudealways disturbs me." "He came to see you?" "Yes. I had a dreadful session withhim. He asked me so many questions." "About your sister?" The woman nodded. "He wantedto know if I had hired someone to searchtor Julie." "Did you mention my name?" "Well, I did say you had offered tohelp me," Mrs. Fenimore admitted,"though I feel unhappy about having toldhim. From the way he behaved, I'm sure he

intends to make trouble tor you." "I'm not afraid of Daniel Hector,"Nancy said. "Oh, but you should have heardhim talk! He said he wouldn't let anyonemeddle in his affairs. He acted as if HeathCastle belongs to him!" "Mr. Hector is worried," Nancycommented, frowning. "His remarks andthe fact that he came to talk to youregarding your sister indicate a guiltyconscience." "Would you risk going to HeathCastle again, Nancy?" "I would if I could accomplishsomething," the young detective said. "ButI believe the mystery may be solved inanother way."

She thought it best not to tell Mrs.Fenimore about the possibility that hersister might have been crippled as a resultof an automobile accident. She merelysaid there was an interesting new lead tofollow, one which would not involve hercoming in contact with Daniel Hector. Later, at home. Nancy reviewedthe developments in the mystery. Intrudersprowling around the Heath estate werelooking for something important. She hadheard them mention the clue in a stonewall and unnamed items they had alreadyfound. Where did Hector fit in? Werethey all working together? What-ifanything-did the search have to do withJuliana's disappearance? "And then there'sthe man who was eavesdropping," Nancy

thought as she opened the top drawer ofher dresser to get a handkerchief. Therelay the torn note she had found in thedebris at the Heath factory. In the recentexcitement she had forgotten about it,"This may be my most valuable clue," shechided herself. "I must try to figure it out." She sat down to piece out themessage. Just then the telephone rang. Thecaller was George who wanted to knowhow the detective work was progressing. "I have a clue to your stolenclothes," Nancy said, and told of the shirtat Mrs. Hooper's. "Why, the nerve of that woman!"George cried indignantly "I'm going thereat once and demand that she return myproperty!"

"You can't prove anything,George," Nancy said. "Better forget thematter for the time being, and come overhere. I have lots to tell you. Bring Bessalong." "Be there pronto," George repliedand hung up. "If it was really Teddy who tookthose clothes," Nancy reasoned, "whatwas he doing in the Heath gardens?" Shewas still trying to figure this out when herfriends arrived. Nancy told themeverything that had happened on her trip. "Poor Juliana!" Bess said. "Howdreadful to have her career cut off thatway!" "I wish you could have found thenurse Emily Foster," George added.

"Well, what are you going to work onnext?" "This note, or rather, this piece ofa note." Nancy produced the bit of paperand the girls pored over it for some time,each with a pencil and paper, trying to fillin the lines to form a logical message.Bess was the first one to claim havingpieced together the missing words. "Listen to this," she said. "I've gotit!

" 'Dear C,Some place is the se-cret which I hidin a wall. I want to befamous. If I can sell it, I will beworthy of you.' "

George scoffed. "If he was going

to sell it, why would he hide it in a wall?" "Well, it fits the missing words,"Bess defended herself. "One guess is as good as another,"Nancy said, then she stared thoughtfully atthe paper before her. Suddenly she jumpedup from the chair and said, "The solutionto this mystery might be right in this veryhouse!" Without explaining her strangeremark, Nancy ran from her room anddown the stairs. A few minutes later shereturned with a large book. "How in the world are you goingto find Juliana with that?" George asked. The book contained a collection ofcolored photographs and descriptions offamous old homes and gardens in England.

"I forgot I had this," Nancy said,quickly turning the pages. "Look here!" "Heath Castle!" exclaimedGeorge. "The original one in England. Onlyit wasn't called Heath, of course." "And the gardens," cried Bess asthey scanned picture after picture. Nancywas reading a description under one ofthem when suddenly a paragraph belowcaught her eyes. "Listen to this! I think we have theclue we've been looking for!"

CHAPTER XIISecret Entrance

George and Bess studied theparagraph to which Nancy had pointed. Ithad been written in Middle English.Nancy had learned in school to read theworks of the poet Chaucer, who wrote inthat language. Eagerly she translated thequotation. "'I have hidden my treasures inthe niches of the cloister through which,all unsuspecting, the noble men and fairladies pass each day to bathe.'" "Sounds quaint," Bess said. "Buthow does it help us?" "Don't you see?" Nancy said. "IraHeath built his estate to resemble the one

in England. Probably he and his son knewabout the old cloister." "Granted." George nodded. "Butso what?" "If the Heaths had a treasure tohide, wouldn't their cloister have been agood place to put it?" "Do you really think they had atreasure?" Bess asked. "I don't know," Nancy replied,"but I have a hunch they did. We knowcertain men are searching for a clue, butthey also mentioned having found otherthings. Perhaps those were part of thetreasure." "Is there a cloister in the Heathgardens?" George asked. "I haven't seenone."

Nancy turned the page. The threegirls looked at the picture on it, whichshowed a long passageway flanked bycolumns leading toward a river. "This is the cloister!" said Nancyexcitedly. "Oh, I wonder whether there'sone at Heath Castle!" "You didn't notice it from thetower?" Bess inquired. "N-no," Nancy answered slowly."But there was something leading from thecastle toward the river-a kind of tunnelcovered with vines." "I'll bet that's it," George saidenthusiastically. "Listen! The bell. Someone's at thedoor." Nancy went downstairs to see whoit was. The caller proved to be Salty.

"And how are ye, lass?" he askedwith a smile. "Sorry I can't give ye anyreport about that fellow what crashed intoye. I been lookin' high an' low for his boat,but I ain't seen any part o' her." "Thank you. You've been veryhelpful," Nancy said, then added, "Salty,I'm thinking of going to the Heath gardensby boat. Have you ever noticed a sort oftunnel there, leading from the beach?" "Can't say I have," the clam diggerreplied. "Are you figurin' on lookin' forone?" Nancy smiled as she said,"Perhaps some time when you're not busy-" Salty suddenly slapped his thighand chuckled. "Women!" he said. "They

never come right out an' say what theywant. Nancy, I'll meet you an' your friendsat Campbell's Landing ten o'clock sharptomorrow mornin', barrin' rain." Nancy thanked him. "Anotherthing, Salty. I'd like to find out aboutWalter Heath's experiments. Are you sureyou can't tell me more about them?" The man shook his head. "I don'tknow a thing more. But maybe SamWeatherby can help ye." "The curio dealer?" "Sam worked at the Heath factorybefore he went into business for himself.He knew Walt as well as anyone in town." "Then I'll go to see SamWeatherby!" Nancy said, grateful for theinformation.

Soon after Salty had gone downthe street, Bess and George left for home,promising to be on hand the next morning.Nancy drove to Sam Weatherby's shop. "Haven't seen you in a while," hegreeted her cheerfully. "Did you bring thatpearl and the shell I offered to buy?" Nancy told him the pearl had beenstolen. "That's too bad," the man saidsympathetically. "Well, maybe you'll finda bigger one." "I hope so," Nancy said with asmile. "But right now I'm more interestedin Walter Heath's experiments." She told about the pile of crushedand broken whelk shells she had found atthe pond. "The colors were so beautiful,

I've been wondering if he was trying tomake dye from them." "You guessed right," Mr.Weatherby said, eyeing her intently. "Sofar as I know, Walt had no luck, but hekept working at it. And once he said tome, 'Sam, even if I don't succeed inmaking a fortune in dye, there's anothertreasure on my estate.' Then he winkedand said, 'It's right in plain sight, too!'" "What did he mean by that?"Nancy asked. The dealer shrugged. "Whoknows? Walt was like that-full of riddlesand secrets. In one way his experimentalwork brought him luck." "How?" "He found a big pearl; at least,

that's what he told me. Said he was goingto present it to a young lady friend of his-adancer." Nancy blinked in astonishment atthe revelation. Had he really given thepearl to Juliana? Or was it hidden in oneof the cloister walls? And was that whatsomeone was looking for? Nancy thanked the curio dealer forhis information and turned to leave. Anobject in the showcase caught her eye.Lying in a velvet-lined case was theantique charm from a man's watch chainthat Daniel Hector had sold to Mr.Weatherby. "Handsome, isn't it?" the jewelerremarked, taking the charm from its case."An old English family design. A genuine

heirloom." Nancy admired the piece ofjewelry. Mr. Weatherby also showed hera pair of earrings, a bracelet, and abrooch, all bearing the same design. "Daniel Hector sold me this entireset," Mr. Weatherby revealed. "Thatlawyer is a hard customer, though. Heargues for the last penny." "Did he inherit these from Englishancestors?" Nancy asked. "That's what he said. Between youand me, I think he got them from a clientwho couldn't pay a bill." Nancy wondered if Hector hadreceived the charm and the other pieces ofjewelry honestly, but kept quiet. When Nancy reached home she

learned that during her absence a call hadcome from Hopewell. Either she or herfather was to get in touch with the manwho had phoned. "He was a detective," HannahGruen told her, "and he wouldn't give mea message." Nancy called headquarters atHopewell. The plainclothesman was outat the time but had left his report for her.The stranger he had shadowed the nightbefore had driven to River Heights. Fromthere he had gone to the abandoned Heathfactory to meet another man. "If I only knew who that personwas!" Nancy exclaimed. "I have a description of him," saidthe police sergeant and read it. Nancy was

almost certain he was the same man whohad damaged her motorboat! She thankedthe officer, then hung up. The youngdetective mulled over what she had justheard. Obviously the intruders at HeathCastle knew she was working on the caseand had sent someone to shadow her.Would they stop there? Or was she indanger? Her father was out of town onbusiness, so she could not discuss thematter with him. Finally she went to bed. The next morning Nancy put thekey to the front door of Heath Castle in apocket of her slacks, then hastened toCampbell's Landing. She was the first toarrive and arranged to rent a motorboat.She was just getting it ready when George

and Bess arrived. Finally Salty showed upin his rowboat, which he fastened securelyto the larger craft, then jumped in with thegirls. "All set!" he announced. "Castoff!" The girls enjoyed the rideupstream; not only because it wasbeautiful on the river, but because theclam digger entertained them with songsand stories of the sea. Soon the girls saw the high turretsof Heath Castle in the distance. Nancyrecalled the man she had seen signalingfrom one of them with a flashlight. "His helper was probably waitingon the water," she thought. The shoreline was matted thickly

with bushes, and only a narrow beach wasvisible. Above it stood a high, weather-stained wall, the river barrier of HeathCastle. "Let's anchor the motorboat in theriver and take the little one ashore," Saltysuggested. They untied the rowboat andclimbed aboard. With powerful strokesthe sailor sent it surging through the water.Presently it grounded on the shore andthey stepped out. The girls left Salty, who wanted tolook for clams along the beach. The youngsleuths turned their attention to the highwall which marked the rear boundary ofthe Heath estate. Only the treetops abovethe gardens were visible. Directly in frontof the wall grew tall brier bushes.

Nancy and her friends walkedalong the beach. "That boy who stole your clothesseemed to appear out of nowhere," Nancysaid. "I didn't see him scale a wall. Hemust have reached the beach some otherway." "You mean by the cloister?" askedBess. "Maybe. I'm sure there's anopening along here." Pushing ahead, she began toexamine the base. Finally, parting somebrier bushes, she saw several large stoneswhich apparently never had beencemented into the wall. She pushedagainst the center one. It moved easily! "Girls, this may be an entrance!"

Nancy cried out.

CHAPTER XIIITreasure!

Nancy pressed against the centerstone in the wall. It moved inward toreveal a flight of eight steps leadingupward to an arched passageway. "The cloister!" Bess and Georgeexclaimed. One side of the passageway wasset with square stone columns. Heavyvines grew up and over them, forming aroof of leaves through which sunlightfiltered into the cool tunnel. The other sidewas a high crumbling fieldstone wall withdeep alcoves about twenty-five feet apart. "Just like the picture we saw in thebook!" Bess said. "Oh, what an attractive

walk to the beach!" "Now to find the hidden treasure,"George said. "Come on!" Hopefully the girls examined theniches along the wall, some of which hadbuilt-in stone shelves. In one, a statuettelay on its side; in another, a vase hadtipped over and broken. George felt among the vines."Nothing here-" she started to say whenNancy interrupted her. She held up a finger in warning. "Listen!" she whispered. The three girls stood still. Faintlythey heard men's voices from the otherside of the wall. They stole along theflagstones cautiously, hardly daring tobreathe. As they reached another niche,

the deep voices came to them distinctly. "This looks like a good spot!" oneman said, making no attempt to speak low."Bring your pick, Cobb." Nancy recognized the voices. Shehad heard them the night of herimprisonment in the tower! The menstarted to work with chisel, pick, andsledgehammer. Tiny stones and bits ofmortar rattled down at the girls' feet. "They're wrecking this lovelywall!" George whispered indignantly. Just then a decorative ledge in thealcove came loose and threatened to crashto the flagstone floor. Quickly Nancystepped forward and caught the slab. WithBess's help, she laid it carefully on theground.

Nancy straightened up and gaspedas she looked at the wall niche. Where theledge had been, a long, narrow pocketwas now exposed! Nancy ran her handinto the dark opening. Her groping fingerstouched something cold and hard. A metal box! "Nancy!" George warned in awhisper. Directly above the girl's hand astone chisel was poking through the wall.In another moment the men would succeedin making a large opening into the niche! Nancy drew out the flat metal box,then the three girls turned and fled throughthe cloister toward the castle. The soundof the men working gradually died away. "We're safe!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Now let's open the box!" Her hands trembled withexcitement as she lifted the lid of the rustycontainer. "Hm!" said George. "Only papersand photographs." Bess, too, was disappointed."There's nothing valuable here! And afterall our trouble, too!" "Let's not be too hasty," Nancyadvised, and lifted out the top photographcarefully. Yellowed with age, it showed amiddle-aged man in old fashioned clothes.At the bottom was scrawled the name "IraHeath," and a date. Nancy was about to hand thepicture to George when a detail of theman's clothing attracted her attention. A

watch chain which hung from Mr. Heath'svest pocket had an unusual charm attachedto it! "Look at this!" she said. "I saw thevery same charm at Sam Weatherby'scurio shop. Daniel Hector sold it to himalong with some other jewelry!" "You're kidding!" Bess exclaimed. "No. Hector told Mr. Weatherbythe jewelry was from his own family." "That certainly soundssuspicious," George said, reaching foranother photograph. She held up thepicture of a sweet-faced woman, wearinga long gown and upswept hair. Aninscription identified her as Heath's wife,Ida. "Her earrings!" Nancy said.

"Hector sold those to Mr. Weatherby,too!" "He has been robbing the estate!"Bess declared. There were more pictures in thebox, but none were of particular interest tothe girls. Underneath the pile was a smallleather-bound diary. The flyleaf boreWalter Heath's name, and the dates ofmany of the notations showed they hadbeen made less than a month before hisdeath. "This may be the most valuablething in this box!" Nancy remarked,skimming through the book. Many of thepages were blank, but under one date wasan item important enough to read aloud. "I stumbled upon something which

may prove to be a treasure. In the saltedpond there are many marine mollusksplaced there by my father. They not onlyhave beautiful shells, but their glands giveoff a purple dye. I am mixing it withcertain chemicals and so far haveproduced six shades of purple dye. But thecolor does not last. I will keep trying for aperfect formula." "I wonder it he did perfect it andwhat became of the formula," Bess mused. "Good question," said George. Nancy turned more pages in thediary. "Here's something," she said."Listen to this: "'I don't trust the new chauffeurBiggs. Have decided to hide all thebottles of dye until my experiments are

complete.' " "Does it say where he hid them?"George asked. "Read the next page." "There's nothing more. This is thelast paragraph in the book." "What a shame!" "Maybe we'll find other clueswhen we read the entire diary," Nancysaid. "But there's no time now." "I'll say there isn't!" Georgeagreed. "Sh! We'd better duck out of hereand fast!" From just across the stone barriercame the barking of a dog. Voices wereaudible, and each moment they grewlouder. The two men were approaching! "How about looking on theopposite side of this wall?" one of them

asked. "Okay," the other man replied."May as well climb over and make a goodjob of it while we're here." Fearful of being seen, the girlstiptoed along the cloister wall. Nancycarried the metal box, which was heavy. "We should have gone the otherway, toward the beach," she whispered. "Ihope we don't get trapped!" As they rounded a curve the girlsnoticed that the cloister ended abruptly ina rear wall of the castle, with a hugewooden door. It was locked! Nancy tried her key. It would notfit! "Oh, what'll we do?" Bess asked."This is awful!"

The men could be heard movingslowly up the flagstone passageway. In amoment or two they certainly would seethe girls. "Nancy, we'll have to hide thebox!" George said. "We'd better hide ourselves," Bessurged. "Maybe we could break throughthe vines," Nancy suggested. "No chance," George decided."There's a network of thick stalks betweenthe pillars. I touched them before when wewere searching for the treasure." Not far from the castle wall was alarge nook. In their haste the girls hadpassed it with only a fleeting glance. NowNancy thought that it might make a safe

hiding place. "Follow me!" she directed. Above the arched entrance to therefuge had been chiseled the words Poet'sNook, but the girls scarcely noticed it asthey slipped into the niche. "I must hide this box so the mencan't take it, even if they catch us," Nancydeclared grimly. Frantically the girlslooked about them. Nancy noticed a loosestone in the wall directly above a bench inthe back of their hiding place. "George," she said, "see if it willmove." Luckily the stone could be easedout. A large, empty space was behind it.Nancy slipped the box inside, and Georgequickly fitted the stone into place.

By this time the men were verynear, and had stopped walking. "Howabout working in the Poet's Nook?" oneasked suddenly. "Maybe we'll findsomething there." The girls flattened themselvesagainst the wall and waited tensely,scarcely daring to breathe. "We looked there once. Thathiding place over the bench was empty." "Sure, but it we take out the wholewall, we might find another one. You'relazy if you ask me." "Did I ask you?" the first mangrowled. "This is hard work. We're notgetting much money for it either." The other laughed. "What wefound already is good enough pay for me.

And if we find the other loot, we can liveanyway we please." Nancy and her friends surmisedthat the men would not search the Poet'sNook again and relaxed slightly. But theirhopes were dashed. "How about it, Cobb?" the firstman demanded. "Do we take out the wallor don't we?" "Okay," the one addressed asCobb replied. "You go ahead. I'll be withyou in a minute. Here's thesledgehammer."

CHAPTER XIVCinderella's Slipper

Nancy, Bess, and George retreateddeeper into the shadows, but their heartssank. The men were sure to find them! "I'll be right there, Biggs," Cobbcalled. "Just want to see if there's anythinghidden in any of these other niches." Biggs! The name electrified thegirls. Hadn't Walter Heath mentioned thename Biggs in the diary as that of asuspicious person? Could he be thechauffeur, searching, perhaps, for thebottles of dye his former employer hadhidden? The next moment a tall figureappeared in the entrance of the niche with

a sledgehammer. His back was turned tothe girls as he called out: "Hurry up! I'm not going to do theheavy work alone!" At that instant the sound of runningfootsteps could be heard. Startled, thespeaker moved off in their direction. Nancy tiptoed forward and peeredout. Biggs was the man who had signaledfrom the tower! Then she saw a boy whowas racing toward the two men. TeddyHooper! "Hey, come quick!" he shouted."I've got something to show you!" Cobb was irritated. "You again!"he exclaimed. "We told you to keep awayfrom here!" "But I've got something to tell

you!" "What is it?" "First you pay me," the boyreplied. "Get out of here and leave usalone!" "Maybe we'd better hear whatTeddy has to say," Biggs urged. "It may beimportant." "Gimme a dollar and I'll tell you,"the boy demanded impudently. "There!" Cobb snapped, handingover the money. "Now talk!" "You know where the hole is inthe beach wall? Somebody came throughit." "How do you know?" "Footprints. Want to see 'em?"

"Okay." Cobb sounded concerned."If anyone is on these premises, we'dbetter find out about it." "Maybe the place is beingwatched! I'm clearing out of here!" Biggsadded. "Don't be a fool!" Cobb replied."If anyone came into the gardens throughthis passageway, he's got to go out thesame way. All we have to do is watch thehole and we'll catch him." The two men followed Teddyaround the curve. When their voices diedaway, Nancy and the girls stepped fromtheir hiding place. "The boy was Teddy Hooper,"Nancy said thoughtfully. "I wonder how hegot mixed up with these men."

"Never mind him now," Bess saidanxiously. "We must get out of heresomehow, and fast!" "As long as the men stay on thebeach, we're pretty safe," Nancy replied."But I'm worried about Salty. If only wehad some way to warn him!" "But how can we?" Bess asked."Those men might pounce on us if we tryto go." "There's one possibility," Georgeannounced, pointing to a stone stairwaybetween two of the columns which wereintertwined with vines. "See if there's away out through these." The girls managed to force two ofthe heavy vines apart. Below them lay asmall tangled garden.

"We can squeeze through here,"Bess said. "Come on!" "You go ahead," Nancy said. "I'llget the metal box." A few minutes later she wriggledbetween the vines to join her friends.Eagerly they explored the little garden. Ithad sheer walls on three sides, too high toclimb. They could not find a singleopening! Bess sat down in the middle of aweed-grown path. "I'm so discouraged Icould cry," she admitted. "Maybe a drink of water willrevive you," her cousin suggestedpractically. On the rear wall of the gardenhung an artistic fountain from which

spouted a little stream. Bess walked overto it and drank freely. "It's wonderfulwater," she said. "And cold. Must comefrom a spring." Nancy and George cupped theirhands and filled them several times. "Itcertainly tastes different from RiverHeights water," Nancy declared. "Andyou're right, it's delicious." She was about to drink more whenshe spotted something on the crumblingwall just beneath the fountain. Parting thevines to get a better view, Nancy stared inastonishment. "Girls, look! On the wall!" sheexclaimed. The vines had grown over a smallblock of cement which had been set into

the stones. In it was the imprint of awoman's shoe. Beneath had been chiseleda single word: Cinderella. "Cinderella's dancing slipper."George laughed. "Whoever would do sucha crazy thing?" "I'm not sure it was crazy," Nancyreplied. "It's rather romantic and may havebeen Walter Heath's way of paying acompliment to Juliana. Don't you recallthat note I found in his handwriting whichbegan 'Dear C'?" "C could stand for a dozen othernames," George said. Nancy measured the dainty littleshoe print with her hand. "But if it'sJuliana's, it could be the clue WalterHeath mentioned in his will! He said she

would be able to identify herself in aspecial way, and this could be it, couldn'tit?" "The print is very small," Bessadmitted. "Not many girls wear such a tinysize." "If we've really stumbled upon asecret, Nancy, we mustn't breathe a wordof it!" Bess warned. The other girlsagreed and carefully covered the imprintwith the vines. "I wonder if there's anything ofvalue hidden behind the cement block,"Nancy mused. "We can't find out today," Georgesaid. "We'd have to use tools to move it." "It would be just our luck if Cobband Biggs decide to smash the fountains,"

Nancy said. "Then we'd be too late."Suddenly she stiffened. "I hear someone!" The girls became aware of a loudcreaking noise from the cloister. "The rearcastle door," whispered George. Instantly they thought of the vinesthey had torn apart to get into the garden.Whoever was going in or out of the castlemight notice the opening and come toinvestigate! "Quick!" Nancy directed. "Liedown here in the tall grass and weeds!" Bess and George flattenedthemselves on the ground. Nancy dartedbehind a bush leafy enough to hide her butnot too thick to block her view. A man,slightly stooped, came through the partedvines. He paused to examine them.

Nancy's heart stood still. He wasDaniel Hector! The lawyer peered into thegarden, but evidently saw nothing unusual,because he went on toward the beach. "Let's go!" Nancy whisperedjubilantly a moment later. "The cloisterentrance to the castle may have been leftunlocked!" The three girls stole noiselesslyalong and eventually reached the castle.The door was indeed unlocked. It madesuch a loud noise when Nancy pulled itthat she feared the sound would carry tothe men. "What a weird place!" Georgecommented as they hurried inside. Nancyled the way through the long windingcorridor toward the front hall.

"Let's get out of here as soon aswe can," Bess urged. Nancy was fairly familiar with thefloor plan and found the main entrance. Itwas locked, but the key she had fitted. "At least we can get out," she said. "No, no," Bess interrupted."Hector probably has a guard on watch." Not paying heed to her cousin'swarning, George peeked outside, thenstopped short. "Oh, oh!" "What's the matter?" Bess asked,following her. Tied at the foot of the stepswere the two huge dogs the girls had metbefore. They began to growl menacingly. "Well, hello, old fellows, we meetagain!" Nancy called cheerily. But her friendly attitude did not

work this time. The animals would notallow the girls to descend. "You try it alone. Nancy," Besssuggested. Nancy had no success. "Thehounds are acting very strangely," shewhispered. "What can be wrong? Theother day they let me pass." She shitted themetal box under her arm and the animalsgrowled even more fiercely. "Why, maybe it's this box," shesaid. "The dogs think I'm trying to stealsomething from the castle!" Telling her friends she would beright back, Nancy ran inside. In a minuteshe had emptied the box of photographsand the diary and stuffed them under hersweater.

"Now where can I hide the box?"she thought. Nancy caught sight of anarrow door, partially open. "That'll do,"she decided. As she placed the metal containeron the floor of the closet, she heardfootsteps not far away. Someone wascoming along the winding corridor! She hurried outside. The dogsgrowled but Nancy was determined topass by them. She ran down the steps, herfriends behind her. Bess was fearful, buttried not to show it. The hounds bayedloudly and the next second Mr. Hector'sfigure framed the doorway. "Hey, you!" the lawyer shoutedfuriously. "Stop! Stop!" The girls ignored him. As Hector

ran down the steps to untie the dogs, hetripped over the long rope and fell downon his face. Nancy urged her friends to runfaster while the man bellowed in pain. "Quick! To the wall!" she panted,holding the treasure close inside hersweater.

CHAPTER XVSalty's Plight

The three girls raced madly to thefront wall of the estate. Clutching vines topull themselves up, they reached the topand scrambled over. Then they paused forbreath. "What a narrow escape!" Nancymurmured. "Daniel Hector saw me!" "Did he recognize you?" Bessasked. "We have never really beenintroduced and I only turned aroundbriefly when I first realized he was there." "What did you do with the metalbox?" Bess queried. "I hid it. But not these." Nancy

produced the photographs and the diaryfrom beneath her sweater. "I still have theevidence!" "Great!" George said. "But what'snext? We're a long way from the boat." After catching their breath, thegirls debated what to do. They wereworried about Salty and what might havehappened to him. To reach him they wouldhave to go far out of their way throughjungle growth next to the estate. "And there's a chance," saidGeorge, "he's in trouble and might noteven be where we left him." "We'll have to return to town andrent a boat," Nancy concluded. The trio walked as fast as theycould and made their way to the main

highway. Bess pointed out that publictransportation was infrequent along thisroute. "Last time I was here I thought thebus would never come," she said. The girls waited impatiently fortwenty minutes. They were almost indespair when Nancy saw a familiar carheaded in their direction. "It's Lieutenant Masters!" shecried, holding up her hand to signal theofficer. The young woman stopped. "Hopin," she invited, and Nancy introduced herfriends. "Did you go to Heath Castle?" theofficer asked. "Yes," Nancy said. "We found

several good leads. In fact, we werefollowing one this morning. Salty camewith us." "Salty?" "He's the singing clam digger ofMuskoka River," Bess explained. "We lefthim on the beach. He may be in the handsof the thieves by now!" Quickly Nancy explained thesituation and asked the officer if she couldarrange to send out a police boat to rescueSalty. "I'd like to go along if they'll letme," Nancy added. "I'm worried and feelresponsible for him." "We'll go too, if we may," put inGeorge. Lieutenant Masters radioedheadquarters. In a few minutes she had

arranged for the girls to accompany therescue party. "But be careful," she warnedthem. "Meanwhile, I'll tell the chief tosearch for Biggs and Cobb." On their way to the police dock.Lieutenant Masters said that she hadplanned to stop at the Drew home todiscuss the problem of Joan Fenimore andTeddy Hooper. "I had hoped Joan wouldn't playwith Teddy anymore," said Nancy. "I'm inclined to think she may havetried not to," the officer said slowly, "but-well, here's the story. Teddy really causesme more worry than a dozen other boys onmy list. He hasn't been to school for threedays. It does no good to talk to his mother.She always sides with Teddy. I'm

convinced she's unsuited to look afterhim." "I'll say she is," George burst out,and told Lieutenant Masters about herstolen clothes. "We're sure he took them," sheconcluded. Nancy said, "He's friendly withBiggs and Cobb." She explained aboutTeddy and the two men at the castle. The lieutenant listened seriously."I'm afraid the boy may be a thief," sheagreed. "This morning I caught him tryingto sell a pearl at Weatherby's curio shop.When I asked him where he had gotten it,he refused to answer me. Maybe he wasthe one who snatched your purse, Nancy.Anyway, when I took him home, his

mother said she knew nothing about thepearl. Teddy finally said that JoanFenimore had given it to him, but shedenied this." "What a pity he's involved her,"Nancy said. "She's too nice a child." A few minutes later LieutenantMasters pulled up to the dock, where twoofficers were waiting in a motorboat. The girls were introduced toLieutenant Carney, a stocky, muscular-looking man, and Officer Mellon, whowas tall and soft spoken. The girls climbed aboard and thecraft roared off. In a short time theyreached the Heath estate. The rentedmotorboat was anchored in the same spotbut there was no sign of Salty and his

rowboat! "He wouldn't have had time to rowhome," Bess said, worried. "And wedidn't pass him on the way." Lieutenant Carney cast anchor andeveryone waded ashore. They started anintensive hunt. Before long George spottedthe sailor lying motionless near theentrance to the cloister. She gasped. Butsuddenly he sat up and looked at her."Thought ye'd never come," he muttered.There was blood on his face and shirt. "Salty!" exclaimed Nancy, whohad hurried over. "You're hurt!" Her cry brought Lieutenant Carneyon the run. Salty stood up and insisted hewas all right, though he was somewhatunsteady.

"What happened?" Nancy asked,and Lieutenant Carney pulled out hisnotebook. "I was diggin' for clams when acouple o'men an' a boy seemed to comeright out o' nowhere. They asked me whoI'd brought to the Heath gardens." "Did you tell them?" Bess asked. "No, but they said they'd beat meup if I didn't an' then go after the intrudersthemselves." "I tried to argue 'em out o' it, butthey was stubborn as mules. When theystarted to go after you, I tried to stop 'em." "But there were three against you!"George said. "Ye're right. Fraid I got knockedout. But I come to pretty soon; in fact, just

in time to see one o' the rascals takin' myboat." Salty told how he had seen oneman going through the section of wall withthe stone steps beyond and decided tofollow. But the sailor had gone no fartherthan the opening before everything wentblack again before his eyes. "Later I come to," he said, "but Icouldn't seem to move for a while.Somewhere in the garden I heard two mentalkin'. Nancy, you must be very carefulfrom now on," he warned. "Those guys areplannin' to kidnap you!" Lieutenant Carney spoke up. "We'dbetter get back to headquarters. Salty. Youcan give us a description of the men there.Also I want you to see a doctor to make

sure you're all right." In a few minutes the police boatwas skimming down the river with Saltyaboard. Nancy and her friends took therented craft back to Campbell's Landing,then headed home in her car. It was mid afternoon when Nancyreached her house. She found Mr. Drewthere, looking through some oldnewspapers. He and Nancy ate a latelunch while she eagerly showed him thephotographs and the diary from the Heathestate. "You certainly had an excitingtime," her father remarked. "But I havesome interesting news, too." Nancy's eyes lighted withcuriosity. "Something that will help solve

the mystery, Dad?" Her father nodded. "It concernsJuliana's missing nurse." "Emily Foster?" "Yes. I've located her. And here'sthe best part. Tomorrow morning she'llsee you and tell you all she knows!"

CHAPTER XVINews of Juliana

"Oh, Dad! Where is EmilyFoster?" Nancy asked, thrilled by thenews.'"How did you find her? What didshe say about Juliana?" "One question at a time, please,"Mr. Drew said, laughing I talked to heronly by telephone, go I didn't get anydetails." "Is she here in River Heights?" "No. In Hampton. I traced her bycontacting the State Board of Nursing.Miss Foster is on a case in Hampton.She'll be free tomorrow, and has promisedto meet us at the Hampton Motel." "That's great. Maybe now we'll

find Juliana!" "Don't build your hopes too high,"the lawyer warned his daughter. "MissFoster may not know what became of thedancer. Even if she's able to provide aclue, you have only a short time to followit up." "That's the trouble," Nancy agreed,worried. "Only ten days are left beforeHeath Castle will be lost to Juliana." "Anyway, it seems to me you'vebuilt up a case against Daniel Hector, andthat's something," her father said. "Even ifJuliana is never found, there's no reasonwhy that unscrupulous lawyer and hishenchmen should help themselves to anyof the estate." The Drews planned to leave for

Hampton that evening and spend the nightat the motel in order to be on time for theirearly-morning appointment. Nancy,knowing she had a dozen things to dobefore leaving, rushed to do them. Before they left, she suggested thatthey stop at the Fenimores' to see if Joanand her mother needed anything. "I can't help worrying about them,"she said. Mr. Drew agreed. When theyarrived at the house, the little girl wasasleep. Her mother, however, was up andin surprisingly good spirits. "The Hoopers have moved!" shesaid. "Now Joan and Teddy will beseparated!" "I wonder why they left so

suddenly," Nancy mused. "It was strange," Mrs. Fenimorereplied. "Mrs. Hooper never talked aboutmoving. A truck drove up with Mr.Hooper and another man and they loadedup all the furniture. Then Mrs. Hooper andTeddy left in a taxi with their luggage." Mrs. Fenimore went on to say thatTeddy had been boasting to Joan lately. "He said his father was a smartman-he knew how to make money withoutworking for it. Oh, how the talk frightenedme!" "I've never seen Mr. Hooper,"Nancy said. "Can you describe him?" "Cobb Hooper is a tall, thin man,sullen-faced, and unkempt in appearance."

"Did you say Cobb?" Nancy wasstartled by the name. "Yes." Nancy did not show her excitementas she recognized the name of thesuspicious man she had overheard in thecloister at Heath Castle! She asked Mrs.Fenimore if she knew anything aboutTeddy and his family. "I never knew when that boy wastelling the truth," the woman replied. "Buthe told Joan he knew where there was ahidden treasure." Nancy's mind was whirling aspieces of evidence seemed to fall intoplace. "Mrs. Fenimore," she asked, "didJoan ever talk to the Hoopers aboutJuliana and the property she was to

inherit?" "Dear me, yes! The child toldeverybody." "And Teddy repeated it to hisparents?" "I don't know. He told Joan hewent to the castle himself. But she was tokeep it a secret." "When did Teddy tell yourdaughter this?" "Oh, some time ago." There was nothing more ofimportance that Mrs. Fenimore couldremember. After learning that the familywas not in need of food or anything else,Nancy and her father got up to leave.Nancy remarked that they were on theirway to interview a woman who mighthave information about Juliana.

"Oh, I hope she does!" Mrs.Fenimore said. As soon as the Drewswere in the car, Nancy told her father ofher suspicion regarding Cobb Hooper. "I thought Cobb was a last name,"she commented. "It never occurred to methat Biggs' companion might be Teddy'sfather. The man I overheard in the cloisterdidn't act very paternally toward the boy." "Maybe it's only a coincidence." "Possibly. But Cobb is not acommon name. Shouldn't we talk to thepolice again?" Mr. Drew glanced at his watch."All right. But we haven't much time ifwe're to get to Hampton tonight." At headquarters the sergeant on

duty consulted the files and informed theDrews that Cobb Hooper had a prisonrecord. "Have you a mug shot of him?"Carson Drew asked. "Sure." The photograph was brought out.With only one glance Nancy knew that hewas the same man she had seen in thecastle garden. "Cobb Hooper was one of the menwho was hacking at the stone walls," sherevealed. "He also rammed me with hisboat." "I'll try to get a warrant for hisarrest," the officer said. Nancy and her father thanked himand left for Hampton. They arrived at ten

o'clock, and the next morning waited in themotel lobby to meet Emily Foster. Shewas fifteen minutes late. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it ontime," she said as she rushed inbreathlessly. "You are Mr. and MissDrew, aren't you?" As the two nodded she went on,"The nurse who was to relieve me waslate." Nancy and her father liked MissFoster at once. She was in her earlyforties, brisk and efficient, with a friendlysmile. After some polite conversation,she came right to the point. "Mr. Drew,you said over the telephone that youwanted to ask me about a former patient of

mine. I'll be glad to help you if I can." "The information we are seekingconcerns Juliana Johnson," Mr. Drewbegan, "but I believe she gave the nameJulia Flower at the hospital. She wasinjured in a hit-and-run accident." Heshowed Emily Foster Juliana'sphotograph." Yes, I knew her as Miss Flower,"the nurse said. "Tell us about her," Mr. Drewurged. "Whatever you can remember." "Well, I had a hunch right awaythat Miss Flower gave us an assumedname," Emily Foster recalled. "For onething, she never had any visitors. Nomessages came for her, no letters. Shewould not allow the authorities to notify

anyone of her accident. 'I don't wantanyone to know,' she would say. 'Notuntil I'm well.' " "Did she believe she wouldrecover?" Nancy asked quickly. "Only in the beginning. Then thedoctor told her the truth-that she'd be lamefor the rest of her life.' 'How did she take it?" Mr. Drewquestioned. "Very hard. Miss Flower cried fordays, saying the strangest things. Oneremark I recall was, 'His little Cinderellawill never dance for him again.' Oh, itwas heartbreaking to listen to her." Cinderella! Nancy was so sure she was on theright track that her mind leaped from one

possibility to another. She nearly missedhearing her father's next question. "Where did Miss Flower go aftershe left the hospital?" "I don't know," Miss Fosteradmitted regretfully. "From her remarks, Isurmised she intended to live in somesecluded place near Hopewell." "That name Flower," Nancymused. "Juliana was interested ingardening," she added, recalling whatMrs. Fenimore had told her about thedancer. "She would pick a place withflowers and trees and vegetables,probably a farm." "Miss Flower no doubt did," thenurse said. "She was always asking me tobuy her garden magazines. Why, the day

before her release, I remember she cut anadvertisement from the local paper-" "What was it?" Nancy askedeagerly. "The ad offered a small fruit andvegetable farm for sale-a place known asClover Farm." "Where is it?" "It seems to me there used to be aClover Farm at Milton about ten milesfrom here. I don't know whether it's thesame one, though." Nancy turned to her father. He sensed her thoughts and said,"Yes, we'll go there today. It may be afutile trip, but we must follow everylead." "Oh, I hope it's the right place!"

said Nancy. "We must find Juliana soon.Time is getting short!"

CHAPTER XVIIKidnapped!

After the Drews had said good-byto Emily Foster, they drove towardMilton. At a service station near the edgeof town, they stopped and inquired whereClover Farm was. "Never heard of it," was theattendant's disappointing reply. He alsodid not know of a Julia Flower or Julianaor Julie Johnson. The local telephonebook had no listing for any of the names. "Oh, Dad," Nancy said, "have werun into another dead end?" She had never felt more frustrated.Her father went into two shops to makethe same inquiry, but had no better luck. A

distressing thought came to Nancy thatmaybe the former dancer had moved toanother part of the country or was nolonger alive. Mr. Drew, trying to cheer hisdaughter, suggested that the elusivewoman might be living in the area underanother name. At once Nancy took heart. "Let'sdrive all over this place. Maybe we'llpick up a clue." Silence followed as theyrode up one road and down another.About a mile out of town Nancy suddenlyexclaimed, "Look!" On one side of the road was anattractive white arched arbor at theentrance to the grounds. Fields of flowers,shrubs, and a nursery of trees lined eitherside. A neatly painted sign on the arbor

read:Jardin des Fleurs

Juliette Fleur, Prop. "I'm sure this is the place!" Nancycried excitedly. "Julia Flower translatedher name into French, and calls her placeGarden of Flowers." It was a quarter of a mile to thehouse, which was surrounded by a highwhite picket fence with a locked gate. Aterrier with a staccato bark raced from thebuilding toward the callers. "There's no bell or knocker," saidNancy. "How does one get in?" Her question was answered whentwo gardeners hurried from the rear of theenclosure. "No visitors allowed here!" one of

them said curtly. "We came to see Miss Fleur," Mr.Drew explained, then introduced himselfand his daughter. "Did she send for you?" "No," Mr. Drew admitted, "but ifshe's the person we're looking for, wehave important information for her." Nancy pulled out Juliana'sphotograph, and showed it to the men,who stared at it. Finally one of them said,"It's her, all right-when she was younger.But she's not here!" "Where is she?" Nancy asked. "Well, usually she never leavesthe place on account of being such acripple. But when that government mancame for her last night, she had to go. He

took her away in a car." "What government man?" Mr.Drew asked quickly. "Did he give hisname?" "He probably told Miss Fleur. Wedidn't hear it." "Did she say why she had to gowith him?" Nancy asked. "It was something about incometax. Miss Fleur always thought she paidthe government every penny she owed.She's very honest. But the man claimedshe'd made a false report and might haveto go to prison." "This seems very irregular to me,"Mr. Drew commented. "Even if MissFleur made a mistake in the amount of hertax, she would not be sentenced without a

hearing. The usual procedure is to notifythe accused by letter and have the personcall at the tax office to explain his or herside of the matter." "Dad," Nancy said, "it looks as ifsomeone was very eager to get Miss Fleuraway from here. We must End her!" "First of all, we'll check with theInternal Revenue Service; that is, if I canuse a telephone." The two gardeners, sensing thatNancy and her father were sincere, invitedthem into the farmhouse. Mr. Drew called.When he finished, he looked grim. "Just as we feared," he revealed."The Internal Revenue Service has nocase pending against Juliette Fleur,Juliana Johnson, or Julia Flower."

"Then it was a hoax!" Nancyexclaimed. “The man who came here wasan impostor." The gardeners suddenly lookedalarmed. One of them said, "Are yousaying Miss Fleur maybe waskidnapped?" "Possibly," Mr. Drew replied. The two workmen werespeechless. "Oh, find her!" one said. "Wethink an awful lot of her." "Have you any idea where she mayhave been taken?" Nancy asked. Both mensaid they had told her everything theyknew. They spread the news of theincident to Miss Fleur's other twoemployees who came in from the fields.

Their faces became sad. "Those kidnappers may hurt her!"one of the gardeners said. "I wouldn't worry about that," Mr.Drew said to comfort the man. "MissFleur probably will receive goodtreatment. But unfortunately she will losea fortune unless she can be found." "But how? Shall we call thepolice?" the man asked. "We'll stop at headquarters on theway home," Mr. Drew said, and promisedthe gardeners he would do everything hecould to find Juliette Fleur. "Tell me, what did the allegedgovernment man look like?" he asked. The gardeners' description was notvery helpful.

"He was tall and slender," onesaid, "and wore dark glasses. He had abeard and a mustache." "Probably a disguise," Nancyconcluded. After the Drews had told theirstory to the local police, they returned tothe Hampton Motel. On their way to thedining room, Carson Drew purchased acopy of the River Heights newspaper. A startling headline caught hiseyes:

FAMOUS DANCER RETURNS INTIME TO CLAIM HEATH FORTUNE

The article stated that after a longsearch, Daniel Hector had found themissing Juliana, who now was staying atthe Riverview Hotel in River Heights. For

many years the famous dancer had beenfulfilling professional engagements inSouth America under another name. "So that's what Hector has been upto!" Nancy said hotly. "He had the realJuliana kidnapped to be able to presentthis impostor!" "It certainly seems that way," Mr.Drew agreed. "If Daniel Hector canestablish the impostor as the heiress, hewill probably pay her well and then takeover the estate." "Let's hurry back to RiverHeights," Nancy suggested. After hastening through lunch sheand her father checked out of the motel,and soon were driving along the roadtoward home.

"I wonder where the abductor hashidden Juliana," Nancy said. It was early afternoon when theDrews reached River Heights. The lawyersaid he had to stop in his office for acouple of hours and that Nancy could usethe car in the meantime. "I think I'll go see Mrs. Fenimoreand find out whether she has heard thenews," Nancy decided as she got out ofthe car. She drove off and turned in thedirection of the little house. Joan and her mother were happy tosee her. They had not read thenewspapers, however, and had not heardfrom Daniel Hector. When Nancy toldthem about the article, Mrs. Fenimorebecame excited.

"You mean my sister has reallybeen found? Oh, I just can't believe it!Where is she?" "Mrs. Fenimore," Nancy said, "Idon't want to disappoint you, but I believethat the woman Hector claims to havelocated is an impostor!" "What do you mean?" Mrs.Fenimore looked bewildered. Nancy told about the result of herinvestigation and of her suspicion that thereal Juliana had been kidnapped. "But that's terrible," Mrs.Fenimore finally said. "It's anunscrupulous scheme to cheat my sisterout of her inheritance, and who knows, shemight be a prisoner of Hector's for years!We must tell the police!"

"I wish we could," Nancy said."But so far I can't prove anything. Unlesswe find your sister in time, Hector may getaway with his crooked scheme." "But I can tell if the claimant is mysister, can't I?" "I don't know whether your wordagainst hers would be proof enough.Anyway, I think we should meet thedancer who claims to be Juliana." Joan insisted upon coming along,and soon the three of them arrived at theRivervicw Hotel. "You mean Senora Fernandez?"the desk clerk replied when Nancyinquired for the woman. "I'll see if she'sreceiving callers." Mrs. Fenimore became more and

more apprehensive as they waited. Finallythe clerk told them to go up to Room 320.They knocked and a voice said, "Comein!" A beautiful woman was recliningon the bed, her back braced by severalembroidered pillows. She wore an exoticnegligee which set off to advantage herdark hair and creamy white skin. "Vera! I am so glad to see youagain!" she said and got up to embraceMrs. Fenimore. "And this is Joan, isn't it?"She kissed the little girl lightly on thecheek. Mrs. Fenimore was so confusedthat for a moment she could not speak.Nancy broke the silence by giving hername.

"Miss Drew?" the dancer lookedperplexed but only for an instant. "Yes, Ibelieve Mr. Hector told me about you." By now Mrs. Fenimore hadrelaxed. "Julie, why did you go away?" "I-I eloped with my Mexicanhusband." "But how could you desert WalterHeath?" "I couldn't marry him, because Ididn't love him. But I didn't want to hurthim either; that's why I disappeared." "But now you've come back toclaim his fortune," Nancy put in. "By theway, what are your plans for the estate?" "I'll sell it. Mr. Hector has a buyerfor it already." "Then you won't stay in River

Heights?" Mrs. Fenimore asked. "Of course not. I have my careerand my home in Mexico." Mrs. Fenimore looked at thewoman calmly. "Mr. Hector won't be able to sellthe estate for you because you are not mysister!" The other woman blanched. "I mayhave changed in those ten years, but I canprove who I am!" "How?" Nancy asked quickly. "I have all necessaryidentification. And I also have this!" Frombeneath her pillow the dancer brought outa torn paper. Nancy instantly knew that itwas the missing half of the note she hadfound at the Heath factory. She read the

words:day the sec-am hidingmay make meThen I shall beof you. Love,Walt

Nancy did not have the other halfof the note with her, but she knew itscontents by heart. The complete messagewould read:

Dear C,Someday the sec-cret which I am hidingin a wall may make mefamous. Then I shall beworthy of you. Love,Walt

The young sleuth concluded thatWalter Heath had not sold the formula onwhich he had been working. Instead, hehad hidden the dyes somewhere in the oldestate walls to keep them safe from menlike Biggs. "Do you have the other half of thenote?" Nancy asked Senora Fernandez. "No, I lost it years ago." "What does the C stand for?" "Oh-Walt used to call me Carita. Itwas a nickname he gave me when we firstmet." "You are not my sister!" Mrs.Fenimore cried out again. She couldhardly control her anger. "And this noteproves nothing!" Nancy took her arm. "Let's go

now. And don't worry," she said as thethree left. Back on the street, Nancy said,"Daniel Hector did a good job. SenoraFernandez does resemble your sister,doesn't she?" Mrs. Fenimore nodded. "So muchso, that at first I wasn't sure myself." "I noticed the woman had ratherlarge feet," Nancy said. "She must wear atleast a size nine or ten shoe." "And Juliana had extremely smallfeet," Mrs. Fenimore remarked. "Thatshould help prove Mrs. Fernandez is aphony." "Yes. Please don't worry about it.Right now all I'm concerned about isfinding your sister!"

Nancy dropped the Fenimores offat their house and drove home. On the wayshe passed Bess's house and noticed thatGeorge's car stood in front. "I'll stop to tell them the latestnews about the case," Nancy decided. Bess invited both girls to stay todinner. Nancy accepted after callingHannah Gruen. "Your father won't be back untillate, anyway," the housekeeper said. By the time Nancy arrived home, itwas dark. As she pulled into thedriveway, the young detective noticed thatthere were no lights on in the house. "That's funny," she thought,stopping. "Whenever Hannah goes out, sheleaves a lamp on."

Nancy hurried to the front door.With a surge of alarm she found it standingslightly ajar. Cautiously she pushed itopen but saw only the dark hallway. "Hannah!" she called out, reachingfor the hall switch. Before she could turn on the lights,a powerful arm seized her and a hand wasclapped over her mouth. At the same timethe assailant yanked her into the hall andslammed the door shut!

CHAPTER XVIIITower Trouble

The man held Nancy in an irongrip, and though she struggled, she couldnot break away. Did she know him? Hekept in back of her, so she could not seehis face. Frightening questions racedthrough her mind: Where was Hannah?Had the housekeeper been harmed! "We're going to take you for alittle ride now," her captor said in awhisper. "You're through meddling atHeath Castle!" "Will you shut up!" a harsh voiceput in. The second man tied a scarf overher eyes. "Let's get her out of here before

her father comes home." Suddenly Nancy had an idea ofhow to throw the men off guard. With amoan she slumped into her captor's armsand dropped her purse. He exclaimed angrily, "She'sfainted!" "So what?" snapped the other."We follow the orders. I'll get the car andbring it up the driveway. You carry herout when I signal." Her body limp, but her sensessharply alert, Nancy waited for her chanceto escape. When the other man left, hercaptor released his grasp. Instead ofcrumpling to the floor, Nancy pulled offthe scarf and dashed up the stairs to herfather's room.

The man gave a startled cry andran after her. But Nancy locked the doorbefore he reached it. "I'm calling the police!" sheshouted, and raced to the telephone. For a few moments the intruderpounded on the door wildly, and bangedhimself against it, then suddenly stopped.Nancy had just finished dialing when sheheard him run downstairs and slam thefront door. Quickly she reported the incidentto headquarters, then went to look out thewindow. She saw the intruder round theend of the drive and flee into the darkness.Despite the thumping of her heart, shesmiled grimly. As Nancy hurried through the

house she switched on the lights andcalled Hannah's name. She found thehousekeeper gagged and tied to a chair inthe kitchen. "Are you all right?" Nancy askedanxiously as she released the woman. "I'm not hurt," Hannah saidhoarsely. "But the nerve of those two!"She added angrily, "I was expecting youor your father, and when the bell rang Ithought one of you had forgotten your key.I didn't look out, just opened the door.Those men pushed right in, turned off thelights, and tied me up in my own kitchen!" A few minutes later two officersarrived. Hannah described one intruder astall and thin, the other as short, stocky, andpowerfully built. Both were masked.

Nancy suspected they were Cobb andBiggs. "They must have been watching forme," she said, "because they apparentlyknew my father was out. Also, they werecareful to park some distance away, so Iwouldn't see a strange car in front of thehouse." Before leaving, one of thepolicemen called headquarters andarranged for a plainclothesman to keep aneye on the Drew house that night in casethe suspects made another attempt tokidnap Nancy. Mr. Drew arrived home half anhour later. He listened, deeply concerned,as his daughter and the housekeeper toldwhat had happened.

"You're a brave and clever girl,"he said to Nancy, "but from now on youmust be extra careful. Obviously thesemen are desperate to get you off thiscase." "Someone is giving them orders,"she said. "I have a hunch it's DanielHector." That night Nancy lay awake longafter the others in the house were asleep."The kidnappers wanted to keep me fromgoing to Heath Castle," she reasoned."Surely not because of anything I've seenthere already. It must be because ofsomething else hidden in the place." An amazing idea struck her. Nancycould hardly wait to call Bess andGeorge. Early the next morning she

phoned them. "What time is it?" Bess askedsleepily. Finally she became awakeenough to say yes to Nancy's request thatthe three girls go out to the Heath estate. "Okay," Bess said, "but let's playit safe. I don't want to be scared to deathagain." George was eager for theadventure. She put a flashlight and policewhistle into her pants pocket. All threegirls left notes at their homes since thefamilies were not yet up. Nancy added tohers, "Please phone LieutenantMasters where I am. I want to follow upa hunch connected with the mystery outthere."

When Nancy picked up the cousinsin her car, they demanded a fullexplanation of the day's mission. "It's my opinion that Daniel Hectoror one of his men kidnapped the realJuliana," Nancy said. "He'll hold her untilSenora Fernandez can establish her claimto the fortune. He'll take the lion's share ofit and then disappear." "But what does Heath Castle haveto do with it?" Bess asked. "Do you thinkJuliana is imprisoned there?" "Yes, I do. Mr. Hector found outrecently that I was hot on the trail of thereal Juliana and he had to get her out ofthe way. What better hiding place for hisprisoner than the castle? Then, of course,he'd have to keep me away from there, so

he tried to have me kidnapped." "Your reasoning sounds logical,"George admitted. "The crippled womancould have been brought to the place thenight she left Jardin des Fleurs." At the estate Nancy and her friendsscaled the wall and dropped to the ground.As the three made their way toward thecastle, they did not see nor hear the dogs. "What worries me," said Nancy,"is whether we can get in. Of course, Ihave a key to the front door, but it mayhave been padlocked." When they reached it the girlswere amazed to find the door ajar. "Hector may be here," Besswhispered worriedly. "Or perhaps Cobband Biggs."

There was not a sound of anyonestirring about the premises. Noiselessly,Nancy and the girls slipped inside thecastle. "I have a hunch," Nancywhispered, "that Juliana is imprisoned inthe tower, not in this building. Let's lookthere first." The girls tiptoed along the windingcorridor to the courtyard garden where theentrances to the towers were. Nancy triedthe door of the one in which she had beenimprisoned. It was unlocked. "Will you two please stand guardwhile I go upstairs?" she asked herfriends. They nodded, and Nancy ascendedthe circular iron staircase. She was gone

several minutes. Bess was becominguneasy about her friend when she heardNancy returning. "No one there," the youngdetective reported. "I looked out over thegrounds, too, but didn't see anythingsuspicious." "Where next?" George asked. "Here's a trap door," Nancyreplied, pointing toward the floor. "Whatit opens into I haven't been able to findout. But some tools that weren't herebefore are in that corner now. I believesomeone left them to lift the trap door." Carefully Nancy inserted a finelyedged tool in the crack, then slipped a thinchisel through the space and depressed acatch. Using a crowbar, the girls raised

the heavy metal door. Cautiously they peered into thedarkness below. Nancy and Georgesnapped on their flashlights. Theyrevealed a flight of iron steps leading intoa long corridor. Grilled doors openedfrom it. "Anyone down there?" Nancycalled. No answer. Her own voice echoedweirdly. Just then Nancy thought she hearda sound like a moan. She hurried down thestairway, followed by Bess and George.Several cells lined one wall. Nancyflashed her light into the first cell. It was atiny room, musty and dark. The onlyvisible sunlight filtered in through a high,barred window.

"These rooms look like olddungeons," Bess commented with a littleshiver. "Probably the Heaths used themfor storing food and other things," Georgesaid. The next two cells were empty.But as the girls approached the fourth, theydistinctly heard someone moan. Pausing tolisten, they caught a pitiful cry from the farend of the corridor. "Let me out! Let me out! Pleasehelp me!" Nancy, Bess, and George hurriedup the passageway. A small woman,crippled and weak, had pulled herself tothe grilled doorway. She clung there,frightened and beseeching.

"Juliana Johnson!" Nancy said,recognizing the lovely face in Mrs.Fenimore's photographs. "No! No!" The prisoner shrankback. "I am Miss Fleur." "We'll talk about that later," Nancytold her kindly, and unbolted the door. She and Bess assisted the womanalong the musty corridor, while Georgebeamed the flashlights. It was slow workbecause of Juliana's weak condition. Nancy introduced herself and thegirls. "We've come to help you," sheadded. "Who brought you here?" "Have you been mistreated?" Bessput in. "I've had enough to eat and drink,"the former dancer said. "But I've been so

perplexed." Questioned by Nancy, sherevealed what had happened to her. Aman, who had shown an identificationcard of a government agent, had taken heraway from Jardin des Fleurs in a car. "It was dark when we reached thisplace. I was hurried inside and locked inthe cell. I was told it was because of notpaying enough income tax," she ended thestory. "What does it all mean?" "That's not true," Nancy replied."My father inquired. A great deal hashappened since you left your home tenyears ago," she added. "I-I don't know what you're talkingabout!" "You are Juliana Johnson," Nancy

said with quiet conviction. "Why notadmit it?" "No, no, never!" "Do you realize where you arenow?" Nancy asked, taking a differenttack. "You are at Heath Castle." "Heath Castle! You mean-Walt-?" "Walter Heath died a number ofyears ago," Nancy said gently. "He lovedyou to the end and willed all his propertyto you." "Walt-dead!" the womanwhispered. "Then he thought of me as Iused to be-beautiful, and a talenteddancer." "He loved you for yourself," Bessspoke up. "Not for your fame." Juliana brushed a wisp of

straggling gray hair from her eyes. Herslumping shoulders stiffened. "But I've lost all my beauty!" shecried out. "Oh, I want to be left alone. Ihave my farm. Take me back there,please!" "You mean you don't want HeathCastle?" George asked. "I loved Heath Castle, and I lovedWalt," Juliana said brokenly, "But I hidmyself away so that he never would seeme in this condition. Perhaps this isfoolish pride, but it seems best that I finishout my days as I am doing." "Your sister Vera wants to be withyou very much," said Nancy. "She is awidow now with a little girl who looks agreat deal like you."

Juliana was deeply moved. "Verahas a daughter?" she murmured. "Where isshe?" "The child's name is Joan. She andher mother, now Mrs. Fenimore, live inRiver Heights. Joan likes flowers andgardening, just as you do. I can't tell youthe whole story now, but the two of themneed you." "If I had known before-" Julianabegan. "At the beginning of my retirementI sent a letter to my sister but it came back.I had no idea where she was." "Mrs. Fenimore and Joan want toleave the neighborhood where they live,"Nancy put in. "Joan would be so happy inthese surroundings." "Are the gardens still beautiful?"

the former dancer asked dreamily. Nancy hated to tell the woman thetruth. She tried to soften it by saying,"They have been badly neglected. But theycould be landscaped again. However,only a person who truly loved the placewould want to do it." "To me it would be a challenge,"Juliana said with sudden spirit. "Amemorial to Walt. But the castle and itsgrounds really are pretty large for threepeople." "What a wonderful place it wouldbe for handicapped children!" Bessmused. "And I'd like to help them!"Juliana announced. "Yes, I'll make thisplace a beautiful spot again! I'll bring Joan

and Vera here. And later we'll see aboutthe other children." "Good!" Nancy said. "We'll takeyou right to your sister, and then I'll go tosettle my score with Mr. Hector." The group had finally reached thefoot of the stairway. Before the formerdancer could be helped up the steps, asardonic laugh echoed down to them. "I'll make sure you don't get out!" avoice threatened. The next instant the trap doordropped into place with a crash. A heavyobject was placed on top of it. Then allwas quiet in the dungeon!

CHAPTER XIXRelease and Capture

Nancy darted up the stairway to tryopening the trap door. As she had feared,it did not budge. George and Bess pushedwith all their might. "It's hopeless," said Bess, panting. "We're all prisoners!" JulianaJohnson exclaimed. Nancy was fearful this new shockmight undermine Juliana's healthcompletely, so she said, "I feel surethere's no cause for alarm. When we failto show up, help will come. I left a note athome." "But will the trap door be noticedby anyone?" Juliana asked dubiously.

"Perhaps I can find another exit,"Nancy said. While Bess remained with Juliana,Nancy and George, using flashlights,searched the various cells. They couldfind no exit. The only openings were thehigh grilled windows. "Nancy," George said suddenly, "Ibrought a police whistle. Suppose I blowit." "Great!" said Nancy. "If you standon my shoulders, you should be able toreach one of the windows and signal forhelp." George and Nancy stepped into thenearest cell and went to the window. Withagility George climbed to Nancy'sshoulders and clung to the iron grills of

the window. She blew a dozen shrillblasts with her whistle. "I hope it'll work," she said, afterdropping lightly to the floor. She and Nancy wondered howlong they might have to wait and how longJuliana could stand the added strain. Theyreturned to the others and sat down on thesteps. Juliana had lapsed into silence, butNancy gradually drew her out. One of thefirst questions Nancy asked was whetheror not Walter Heath had given her a largepearl. "No, but he was going to. It wasbeing made into a ring when I went away." Nancy next inquired if Juliana'sfiancé had had a special name for her.

"Yes. He called me his littleCinderella," she said, smiling at therecollection. "Once Walt asked me to puton one of my dancing slippers and make aprint in a block of newly made cement. Hesaid he was going to set it in the gardenwall opposite Poet's Nook. I suppose itwas a lover's foolish idea." "That wasn't foolish," Nancyreplied. "It was very sensible. Thatfootprint clue in the crumbling wall willprove your right to the Heath fortuneagainst any claim of an impostor!" Juliana said, "Please tell me thewhole story. I am terribly confused." Askindly as she could, Nancy related all sheknew. "How dreadful!" Juliana

exclaimed. "And what harrowingexperiences you have had!" "Tell me something," said Nancy."It was reported that the hospital found alot of money on you. Did you plan to stayaway a long time?" "Oh no. I was going to buy anexpensive personal gift for Walt from aman who wanted cash. Also I planned topurchase something for our home." Theformer dancer sighed deeply. Suddenly the woman slumpedforward. In an instant Nancy caught herand placed the limp body on the floor. "Juliana has fainted!" Bess criedout. Nancy was fearful that the womanwas suffering from something more

serious than a faint, because the formerdancer's pulse was very weak. Under theflashlight her face looked chalk-white. "The poor woman!" Bessmurmured. "She has been through somuch!" The girls tried to revive Juliana,and finally succeeded. "We must get out of here!" saidNancy. At that moment they heard distantshouts outside. "Listen!" George commanded. The voices were coming closer.George blew several loud blasts on herwhistle. "Where are you?" somebodycalled. "We're the police. There are fourof us."

Nancy shouted that they werebelow the trap door in the tower. Shecalled out directions and in another fiveminutes the four prisoners were released. "Lieutenant Masters!" exclaimedNancy. "How glad I am to see you! Didmy father get in touch with you?" "No. Hannah Gruen did. And whois this?" she asked, smiling at the formerdancer. Juliana herself replied to thequestion. When Nancy suggested that sheought not to expend her strength talking,the woman insisted she felt much better. "Who shut you in here?" thepolicewoman demanded. "I'm not sure," Nancy answered.

"The voice was disguised, I think. But itmight have been Daniel Hector. He musthave escaped." "Oh, no, he didn't," said a voicetriumphantly. "We nabbed him climbingover a wall. Also these two birds." Two more policemen appeared.With them, handcuffed, were Cobb andBiggs. Behind the men was Daniel Hector. "This is an outrage!" the lawyersnapped. "You can't arrest me. I have aperfect right to be on this property. Theothers are trespassing." Coolly Nancy presented herevidence against the lawyer. She accusedhim of stealing jewelry from the estate, aclaim that could be proved by photographsfound in Walter Heath's box.

"And that's not the worst," she saidto him. "You pretended to look for thewoman who was to inherit the estate. Butwhen you did locate her you kept it asecret so you could help yourself to theestate. When you found out I was on thetrail of the real Juliana Johnson, you hadher kidnapped and locked in the dungeonhere! To protect yourself, you produced animpostor with whom you had made abargain." "Ridiculous!" Hector criedfuriously. "Lies lies! Nothing but lies!" Hector had not seen Juliana yet.She was seated on the winding stairs inthe tower behind Nancy. The young sleuth now steppedaside. Hector stared at the crippled

dancer. "So what?" he demanded after amoment. "I had nothing to do with bringingher here! And she can't prove she's themissing dancer. Just look at her!" "Oh, yes, I can prove it," Julianaretorted with spirit. "The imprint of mydancing shoe is embedded in a wall atHeath Castle. Furthermore, I still have theslipper that made the imprint!" "What's that got to do with it? Thereal Juliana is at the Riverview Hotel!"the lawyer blustered. "She has a note toprove her identity. A note signed Walt." "Don't you mean half a note?"Nancy asked. "I have the rest!" Cobb and Biggs looked startled."You?" Biggs cried. "Where did you find

it?" "At the factory after theexplosion." The three men hung their headsguiltily, admitting they had been there.Biggs added, "Hooper here found the notein a desk Hector sold. He tore it in twopieces, expecting the lawyer to put upmore money for the second half. When onepiece was lost, we thought Hector hadfound it." In answer to Nancy's question if hewere Teddy's father, the man noddedsullenly. Nancy explained to Juliana thatTeddy had learned about the estate fromJoan. Teddy had told his father thatJuliana was missing. Cobb and Biggs got

together. Biggs suspected his formeremployer had hidden some valuable thingsin the estate walls and the two menconvinced Hector he ought to hire them tolook for the treasure. When they found afew items, the men kept them. "You guessed right, but I can'tfigure out how," said Biggs. "I know nothing about all this!"shouted the lawyer. "Yes, you do," Cobb Hooper saidbitterly. "You were behind the wholething. You brought the dogs to guard theestate, but later I kept 'em tied up and thentook 'em back to the kennel." "We were afraid of themourselves," Biggs added. "Mr. Hector," said Lieutenant

Masters, "it looks as if the case againstyou is pretty serious." "I tell you I never saw these menbefore," the lawyer insisted. "Nor thatcrippled woman, either. Now all of youget out of here!" For a long second there wassilence. Then Juliana slowly got to herfeet. Her eyes ablaze, she pointed a fingerat Hector and exclaimed: "Arrest that man! Arrest him forkidnapping!" The wily lawyer's jawdropped. Then he recovered. "The womanis crazy!" he shouted. "The night you came to my farmand brought me here you wore a disguise,"Juliana said accusingly. "At first I didn'trecognize you. But your voice-I know your

voice." Her eyes snapped with anger asshe added, "I will bring charges againstyou to the fullest extent of the law forWalter Heath's sake!" Daniel Hector knew he wasbeaten. But he would not give up yet. Heglared at Nancy and cried out: "If you had minded your ownbusiness, there wouldn't have been all thistrouble! But don't be so smug. You thinkthere are treasures and money for Juliana.You're wrong. There's nothing in the estatebut debts. She has inherited a wreck!"

CHAPTER XXA Last Surprise

"Nothing in the estate!" Nancyexclaimed. "What do you mean?" The angry lawyer refused to reply.He and the other prisoners were led awayby the police. Nancy,-Miss Masters, and Julianaheaded for the Fenimore home. When theyarrived, Juliana asked Nancy to go in firstand break the news. "Oh, you've found my sister!" Mrs.Fenimore cried, after Nancy had told her."You wonderful girl! I don't care if wenever have Heath Castle. To think Julianais alive, and we can be together again!" Gently Nancy warned her about

Juliana's condition. The news was ashock, but Mrs. Fenimore took it bravelyas Juliana was brought in. The sistersembraced and both cried a little. Thenover and over the joyful women expressedtheir gratitude to Nancy. The young sleuth said she wasglad to have accomplished what she had,but was not satisfied to leave the case yet.For days afterward she was tormented byall the distressing angles of the affair. In the meantime, Juliana hadclaimed her inheritance and had requestedthat all legal matters be attended to by Mr.Drew. The lawyer had lost no time inhaving Hector and the other menprosecuted, and also brought chargesagainst the woman who had impersonated

the dancer. "Hooper and Biggs admit havingfound several bottles of dye and a formulamarked, 'Perfected Formula,' hidden inthe cloister walls," Mr. Drew told Nancy."They've surrendered them and I've had ananalysis made. The dye has dried up but anewly made liquid would be of greatvalue commercially if produced under thesame conditions that Walter Heath used." "What were they?" Nancy asked. "Sea salt was mixed with thespring water in the pond. Marine whelks,which are a huge type of mollusk, wereimported and put into it. They exude abeautiful purple dye. After Heath's deaththe whelks vanished." Nancy was thoughtful. "It would

take a good bit of money to start up thatbusiness, wouldn't it?" "Yes," her father replied. "But itwould be profitable for Juliana. Thespecial shade of purple is difficult toimitate synthetically." Nancy had been hoping thatHector's dire statement regarding theestate would not be true, but part of itwas. Mr. Drew had learned that the totalHeath assets were twenty dollars, thewalled grounds, and a ruined castle with afew pieces of furniture. The debts,however, were illegal loans, whichHector had made against the estate andwhich he would have to pay back. Account books had been falsifiedto show that huge sums had been paid to

various detective agencies, supposedly forthe purpose of conducting a search for themissing Juliana. But the wily lawyer hadkept the money. "Unfortunately we can't recoverit," Mr. Drew remarked to his daughter."Hector has spent it all and has little of hisown left." "How about the Heath pearl, Dad?You didn't find it?" "No. I'll keep on trying, of course.Frankly, I don't feel hopeful." "Somewhere on those grounds,"said Nancy, "there must be something ofvalue hidden. After all, Walter Heath toldSam Weatherby there was anothertreasure." "I've had the place searched,

Nancy. Workmen even removed theimprinted block of cement below the wallfountain, but there was nothing behind it.Heath Castle will have to be sold. "But I'm afraid," he went on, "thesale price won't be much, considering itspresent condition. Juliana wants to keepthe property, but she can't, she has barelyenough funds to operate Jardin desFleurs." It was some consolation to Nancythat she had brought the sisters together,but she felt as if she had failed in one ofthe most vital tasks of her life. "Even if I did find Juliana, I wasn'table to save the estate or help theFenimores financially. And they needmoney so badly."

Unwilling to give up, Nancy droveout to the estate one day after lunch to tryto find the treasure which Walter Heathhad mentioned. "What can it be and where?" sheasked herself. "It's supposed to be in plainsight." Nancy worked her way doggedlythrough the neglected grounds andexamined the statuary. Though not anexpert, she could tell that none of it wasunusual. She looked at a grove of fruittrees which might become a source ofprofit. But the trees were too old. Finally the young detective, hot,thirsty, and discouraged, arrived at thelittle garden off the cloister. As Nancywalked toward the fountain, she suddenly

stopped short and stared at the sparklingstream of water. "That's it!" she exclaimed softly."Spring water! Cold, clear, delicious, andprobably pure. It might even haveminerals in it!" Nancy could visualize the estate asa health resort where people came to restand drink the water. "Or it could be bottled and sold!"she thought. Excited by the idea, Nancyquenched her thirst, then hurried home totelephone her father. He promised to havethe spring tested in the morning. The next afternoon the Drewswere delighted to learn that the water waspure and rich in minerals. A further searchof the grounds revealed several more

beneficial springs. "The supply is plentiful," Nancytold Bess and George. "Dad will probablymake arrangements with a bottlingcompany to market it." In the meantime Nancy hadremembered the beautiful shells she hadfound in the pond. Saying nothing toJuliana, she sent one of them to a companyin New York which specialized in makingfine mother-of-pearl jewelry. The answercame back promptly: the firm would buyat a good price all similar shells. "Nancy, you're wonderful!"exclaimed Juliana when Nancy telephonedher about it. The bottling company alsooffered financial backing to convert partof the castle and grounds into a health

resort. "That's wonderful!" Juliana criedout. "Now I can afford to turn a section ofthe castle and grounds into a free vacationspot for handicapped children, and, ofcourse, my sister and Joan and I willoccupy some of the rooms. "You've certainly changed ourlives. Nancy," she added gratefully. "Andnow the Heath property will becomebeautiful again!" A year later, upon invitation,Nancy, Bess, George, Mr. Drew, andLieutenant Masters journeyed to the estateto view the many changes. The great gatestood open. The visitors drove up awinding road between avenues of trimmedhedge and trees. The three girls smiled

when they recalled how differenteverything had seemed to them on theirformer trips there. "It doesn't make me feel a bitcreepy now," Bess remarked. "Those penetrating eyes that spiedon us from behind the evergreen," Nancysaid, "were Hooper's or Biggs'." "With Cobb Hooper in jail, whathas become of Mrs. Hooper and Teddy?"asked George. "She's working," the policewomanreplied. "Teddy has been sent to a specialschool, where he's doing very well." The visitors got out of the car nearthe restored loggia and paused to admirethe repairs to the crumbling walls. Thegardens were a mass of bloom. The lawn

in front of the castle was velvety smoothwith no weeds. "How did Juliana ever accomplishso much in such a short time?" Georgeasked. Nancy replied, "She imported hergardeners from Jardin des Fleurs." Bess called the girls' attention tothe children who had come out on thelawn to play. A few were in wheelchairs,but they pushed themselves about withamazing skill. "Juliana is doing remarkable workwith these youngsters," said LieutenantMasters. "She's putting new spirit intothem. Joan is developing into a fine littlegirl, too. She's proving to be a great helpto her aunt."

"What is she doing?" Bess asked. "Juliana, with the help of atherapist, teaches exercises to the childrento restore nimbleness to their bodies. Joandoes the demonstrating. And incidentally,Joan is the delight of her aunt. She's goingto be a wonderful dancer someday." "And carry on from where Julianaleft off," Bess said dreamily. The callers were greeted cordiallyby the mistress of Heath Castle and hersister, Mrs. Fenimore, now restored tohealth and looking very attractive with afashionable new hairdo. Both womenthanked Bess and George tor theirexcellent assistance to Nancy in solvingthe mystery. Joan hugged Nancy and theothers happily.

"Oh, come see my garden," sheexclaimed, and showed them a small plotof beautifully tended flowers in front ofthe castle. Tea was served on the terrace.Afterward, Juliana led her guests to thelittle garden where Nancy had discoveredthe spring. Children were playing on theshady walks. "The water is helping to buildstrong bodies," Juliana said proudly. "Oh,it means so much to me to bring these boysand girls here! I'd never have forgivenmyself if I had returned to a lonely life atJardin des Fleurs. By the way, I sold it ata nice profit." Mr. Drew had been waiting forthis very moment. He took a tiny box from

his pocket and slipped it into Juliana'shand. "A little surprise," he explained,smiling. The woman slowly raised the lid.Nestled in purple velvet was a ring setwith a huge pearl. "Not the one Walt meant for me?"Juliana asked, dazed. "Yes." "But how did you recover it? Ithought Mr. Hector had found the ring andsold it." "He had, but Dad was able to traceit," Nancy spoke up. "Mr. Hector failed tonotice the inscription inside." Tears filled Juliana's eyes as sheread, '"To my Cinderella.' I'll wear thering always in memory of Walt," she

whispered, her voice trembling. "Oh, Nancy, my dear friend-andMr. Drew, and Bess and George, andLieutenant Masters, also my dear friends-you've made me very, very happy." The young detective smiled, gladthat everything had worked out sosuccessfully. Her gaze wandered along thestately cloister of Heath Castle. With theafternoon sun sinking low, the shadowypassageway had never looked morebeautiful. It was peaceful and quiet, andnothing was further from Nancy's thoughtsthan a new mystery. Yet in a short time shewould be working on another excitingcase called, Mystery of the Tolling Bell. "Don't thank me for helping you,

Juliana," she said earnestly, taking thewoman's hand. "Thank the crumblingwalls. They contained the clues thatbrought you here. To me Heath Castle willalways remain a symbol of mystery andromance."