THE CLUE IN THE CRUMBLING WALL

When Nancy is asked to find a professional dancer who
disappeared several years before, the young detective be-
comes involved in a mystery reaching far beyond a
missing-person's case.
Clues lead to a huge estate which the dancer is to
inherit if she can claim it in time. During Nancy's in-
vestigation at Heath Castle, she and her friends Bess
Marvin and George Fayne realize that its crumbling
walls contain a secret, but what is it? And who are their
enemies that try to foil their every attempt to unravel
the intricate puzzle?
Danger lurks in a castle tower and throughout the
vine-tangled grounds of the estate. The girls' gripping
adventures culminate in a dramatic climax when Nancy
exposes a sinister plot to defraud the dancer of her
inheritance.

NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES

The Clue in the Crumbling Wall

BY CAROLYN KEENE

GROSSET & DUNLAP

Acknowledgement is made to Mildred Wirt Benson, who under the pen name
Carolyn Keene, wrote the original NANCY DREW books
Copyright © 1973,1945, by Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Grosset Group,
New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. Printed in the U.SA.
NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 
GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-2182 ISBN 0-44-09522-X
1997 Printing

Contents
I	An Urgent Request
II	Heath Castle
III	A Runaway Boat
IV	The Haunted Walk
V	Suspicious Figures
VI	A Mysterious Explosion
VII	A Puzzling Message
VIII	Locked In!
IX	Trap Door
X	In Search of a Clue
XI	A Warning
XII	Secret Entrance
XIII	TREASURE!
XIV	Cinderella's Slipper
XV	Salty's Plight
XVI	News OF Juliana
XVII	KiDNAPPED!
XVIII	Tower Trouble
XIX	Release and Capture
XX	A Last Surprise

CHAPTER I

An Urgent Request

"Hurry, Nancy!" Hannah Gruen called anx-
iously. The Drews' housekeeper held the front
door open as jagged lightning cut the sky.
Nancy raced madly toward the door, her red-
dish-blond hair flying in the wind. "Made it!" she
gasped, laughing, as great drops of rain pelted
the driveway.
The attractive, eighteen-year-old girl stepped
into the hall and stopped in surprise. Behind
Hannah stood a slender young policewoman in a
blue uniform.
"This is Lieutenant Masters, dear," said Han-
nah. "She arrived just before your car turned into
the driveway."
"I can't stay long. Nancy," the officer said, "so
I'll come right to the point. Will you help solve a
mystery?" The woman's dark eyes gazed into
Nancy's steadily. "I'm sure you can do it."
Nancy was amazed, but merely said, "I'd like
to hear about it. Won't you come in and sit
down?" She led the officer into the living room.
Nancy's zest for adventure came to her nat-
urally from her father, Carson Drew, a well-
known lawyer. While helping him, she had solved
her first case. The Secret of the Old Clock. Since
then she had been successful in finding the solu-
tions to several mysteries, the most recent one
The Secret in the Old Attic. By now Nancy had
an outstanding reputation, even with the police,
as an amateur sleuth.
"Chief McGinnis recommended that I ask
you," Lieutenant Masters said, seating herself on
the sofa. "He told me you have great insight into
character." The trim, dark-haired officer ex-
plained that she had just joined the River Heights
Police Department. "This case is related to one
of mine. I'm in charge of juvenile offenders."
"Then your mystery involves a child?"
"Yes. A pretty little eight-year-old girl named
Joan Fenimore. She's been in trouble with the
law and will be in more, I'm afraid, unless we can
find her aunt. Nancy, have you ever heard of
Juliana Johnson?"
"She was a dancer, wasn't she?" Nancy asked.
"Yes. She disappeared ten years ago at the
height of her career."
"And she's Joan's aunt?"
"Yes. Juliana must be found within the next
three weeks or lose an inheritance that a friend
willed to her. If we can find her, surely she'll
help Joan and her mother and 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 broke into a smile.
"Then you'll take the case?" she said. "I'm so
gladi" She glanced at her watch and rose quickly.
"I must go now. The rain has stopped. I was on
a call in this neighborhood and decided to drop
by on the chance you were at home. Could you
meet me at headquarters about three o'clock this
afternoon?"
"Certainly," Nancy replied.
"Fine! I'll tell you all about it then, and we'll
go see Joan and her mother. By the way," she
added when they reached the door, "do you know
Heath Castle, a big estate some miles outside of
town?"
"Yes, I do," Nancy said. "I've seen it from the
river. It's that spooky-looking place with those
stone towers and the high walls around it."
"Find out all you can about the place," Lieu-
tenant Masters said. "It's Juliana's inheritance.
And thank you. Nancy. Little Joan really needs
your help!"
After the policewoman had left. Nancy went
to the kitchen and told Hannah about the mys-
tery.
"Now you're happy!" the kindly, middle-aged
woman said fondly. "You have a new easel I just
hope it won't be dangerous." Mrs. Gruen had
been with the family since the death of Mrs. Drew
when Nancy was three years old. The warm-
hearted housekeeper had always been like a
mother to the girl.
"What do you know about Heath Castle?"
Nancy asked her.
"Not much. It was built-"
"Hannah!" Nancy exclaimed. She was facing
the window. "Look-in the yard!"
"What is it?" the housekeeper asked, peering
through the glass. "Oh, what a shame!" she cried
out. "All the hollyhocks are snapped off in the
middle and the daisies are flattened into the mud
from the rain!"
"That's not what I mean," said Nancy. "Look
at the flower border where my new rosebushes
were."
"Why, they're gone!" said Hannah. She stared
in amazement at two holes filled with rain water.
"The bushes were dug up," said Nancy, "and
stolen!"
"Probably by the same thief who took plants
from some of our neighbors," Hannah remarked.
"There's been a rash of these thefts lately."
"I'll report it when I go to headquarters this
afternoon," Nancy said.
While she set the table and heated soup, Han-
nah made sandwiches. By the time the two had
finished their lunch, the ground had dried a lit-
tle and the sun was out.
They hurried into the back yard to inspect the
damage. Except for the rosebushes, no plants were
missing. Nancy could not find any clues to the
thief. She and Hannah began cleaning up debris
from the storm. Suddenly they heard the familiar
song of one of River Heights' well-known ec-
centric characters.
"Here comes my old friend Salty down the
street!" Nancy laughed, shaking off her somber
mood.
The good-natured, elderly man, once a sailor,
had received his nickname from Nancy when she
was a little girl. He had introduced himself to the
Drew household as Boatswain Bostwick Bumple-
ton, "home from the salty seas."
Nancy had tried to say his whole name but
sometimes mixed it up. Once she addressed him
as Bumple Boat and another time as Humpty
Dumpty Bumpleton, much to his amusement.
Finally the little girl settled on Salty and her
nickname stuck to him.
The man's cart bell tinkled merrily, and a
moment later the jolly, weather-beaten sailor
wheeled his wagon around the corner of the drive-
way. 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. Gruen called.
Salty smiled. "Come now," he coaxed. 'Ye
can't turn down my clams. They're nutritious,
delicious, delectable, respectable! Matter of fact,
ye might even find a pearl in one of 'em!"
Nancy turned to Hannah. "Don't you think we
could use a few pearly clams?" she asked with a
wink.
The housekeeper gave in. "Okay, a dozen.
Nancy, please get my purse."
Nancy darted away, but soon returned with
the pocketbook and a container for the clams.
After the elderly sailor had left, she and Hannah
took the clams into the kitchen and Nancy started
to open them with a sharp knife. Soon she had a
pile of empty shells, but no pearls.
"I guess these haven't anything in them but
meat! Well, here's the last one."
Nancy opened the clam and was about to toss
away the attractive, rainbow-colored shell when a
tiny object inside drew her attention.
"A pearl!" she cried, holding it out for the
housekeeper to see.
Hannah stared at the small white object. "I
declare, it is one," she acknowledged, "and may
be worth some money!"
"I'll take it to Sam Weatherby," Nancy said
eagerly. She removed the pearl and washed it,
then drove to Mr. Weatherby's shop. The owner
was a dealer in curios and antique jewelry.
Nancy had to wait fifteen minutes while an
unpleasant man bargained with the shop owner
over a piece of jewelry he wanted to sell. It was a
man's antique watch chain with an attractive gold
charm. At last the customer accepted an offer,
pocketed the money Mr. Weatherby paid him,
and turned on his heel, remarking, "I might as
well have given it to you!"
After the man had left, Mr. Weatherby said to
Nancy, "That was Daniel Hector. How he loves
to argue! If all my customers were like him, I'd
have to close up shop. Well, what can I do for
you, Nancy?"
She removed the pearl from her purse and
asked the curio dealer what it was worth.
"Well, well," he said, examining the object
carefully, "it's nice, but river pearls are not
valuable." He named a modest sum. "I'll buy it
if you'll bring me the shell from which it was
taken. I want to display the pearl with the shell."
Nancy promised to return with the shell the
next day. Then she put the pearl in her pocket-
book and left the shop. She started walking the
few crowded blocks to police headquarters.
As Nancy stopped to look in the window of a
department store, a boy drew close to her. Then
suddenly he jerked the purse from beneath her
arm and fled!

CHAPTER II

Heath Castle

It took Nancy a moment to recover from her
astonishment. By the time she whirled around,
the purse snatcher was already running down the
street. Nancy dashed after him, but tried to avoid
bumping into pedestrians.
"What's the matter?" asked a man she side-
stepped just in time to avoid a collision.
"My purse-"
He took up the chase with her. As word spread,
other people followed. But the boy was running
fast. Nancy caught a glimpse of him as he dashed
into a narrow alley between two buildings. When
she reached it, there was no sign of him.
"Well, there goes my pearl," she thought un-
happily.
Besides the pearl, her purse had contained her
driver's license, car registration, some credit
cards, money, and cosmetics.
"I suppose I should be thankful I didn't lose
more," Nancy said to herself ruefully.
She thanked the stranger who had tried to assist
her, then hurried down the street to headquarters
and was taken into Lieutenant Masters' office.
After greetings were exchanged. Nancy said,
"I want to report two thefts." First she told about
the boy who had snatched her purse.
"Can you describe him?" the policewoman
asked.
"I didn't get a look at his face," said Nancy,
"but I think he was about ten or twelve years old.
He was stocky with tousled blond hair and wore
blue jeans and a tee shirt."
"Many boys could fit that description," Lieu-
tenant Masters commented. "We'll do our best,
but I doubt that you'll get back your bag with the
contents." Then she frowned. "Did I hear you say
'two thefts'?"
"Yes," said Nancy, and told about the missing
rosebushes.
The officer's dark eyes gleamed with interest.
"I think I can give you the answer to the second
one right away," she said. "The culprit is prob-
ably little Joan Fenimore."
"Oh no!" Nancy said in dismay.
"Yes," said the officer. "I told you she had
been in difficulty with the law. Just before I came
to see you I was checking into another report of
flowers stolen from your neighborhood. The
woman of the house caught a glimpse of the child
and described her.
"Joan has a passionate love for flowers," Lieu-
tenant Masters went on, "and an amazing knowl-
edge of them. I arranged for her to join a nature
study class at the museum, but I'm afraid that my
rehabilitation program backfired. Recently she
has taken plants and shrubs from other homes."
"What a shame!" Nancy said.
"Joan's father is not living," the young officer
resumed. "Her widowed mother is ill and very
poor."
Nancy listened sympathetically as the police-
woman went on, "I'll see that Joan returns the
bushes to your garden. Mrs. Fenimore will insist
upon it, anyway. She's greatly distressed by her
child's behavior."
Lieutenant Masters stood up. "Come along,"
she said. "We'll go there now and you can hear
everything firsthand."
The two rode to the Fenimore house located
in a run-down section of the city. The tiny yard
was a mass of colorful flowers, however, and vines
half-covered the unpainted, weather-beaten porch.
As Nancy and the officer went up the flagstone
walk, the policewoman called attention to two
young, newly planted rosebushes.
"Are these yours?" she asked.
"They look like the ones that were in our
yard," Nancy said. "But-"
She broke off, because a little girl in a faded
pink dress had just come around the corner of
the house. When the child saw the woman in
uniform, she stopped short and then turned as
if to run off.
"Don't be afraid," the lieutenant said gently.
"Did you come to take me away?" Joan asked.
"Indeed we didn't. But we will have to send
you to a special school unless you decide to be
good."
"I am good," Joan said, tossing her tangled
blond curls. "Just ask my mother!"
"In many ways you are very good. I know you
work hard to take care of your mother. But why
do you dig up shrubs and plants that don't belong
to you?"
Joan's gaze roved to the telltale rosebushes.
She hung her head and didn't answer.
"I'm sure you don't really mean to be naughty,"
the policewoman continued. "Why do you take
flowers?"
"Because they're pretty," Joan said. "We can
never buy anything nice."
The child sank down on the porch steps and
began to cry. Lieutenant Masters comforted her.
Soon she gained an admission from the little girl
that an older boy, Teddy Hooper, who lived next
door, had suggested that Joan help herself to
some pretty plants.
"I don't know why I did it." Joan began to
sob. "I wish my Aunt Juliana would come home.
I'm sure she'd buy us some nice things."
In an undertone Lieutenant Masters explained
to Nancy that Joan knew about her aunt only
from her mother.
"Mrs. Fenimore wasn't married when her sister
disappeared. Come inside and let her tell you the
story."
Nancy received a distinct shock as Joan 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 not more than thirty years old, but she looked
fifty.
Upon seeing the policewoman, a concerned ex-
pression appeared on Mrs. Fenimore's face. "Has
Joan done something wrong again?"
At her mother's question, the child turned her
head away. Neither Lieutenant Masters nor Nancy
spoke immediately. After a brief pause, the police
officer introduced the new visitor.
"I'm glad to meet you," Mrs. Fenimore said
softly.
"I'm sorry you're not feeling well," Nancy re-
plied. "Perhaps it would be better if I came back
some other time."
"No, no."
"I wish you'd tell Nancy Drew about your sis-
ter," Lieutenant Masters urged. "Nancy's a detec-
tive and will try to find out what happened to
Juliana."
"You really will?" Mrs. Fenimore looked at the
girl hopefully. "You see, Julie went away by her-
self for a month's rest and never was heard of
again."
"Have you any idea at all where she may have
gone?" Nancy asked. "Do you think she disap-
peared deliberately?"
"No. I can't believe that, and I keep telling
Joan I'm sure her aunt will come home someday."
Mrs. Fenimore explained that the dancer had
been engaged to a wealthy manufacturer named
Walter Heath.
"Five years after her mysterious disappearance,
he died and left Heath Castle to Juliana. He tried
to trace her before his death but was unsuccessful.
There's a provision in his will which stipulates
that it Juliana does not claim his estate within five
years, it is to be sold and the money given to
charities he specified. The time is almost up."
After a pause Mrs. Fenimore went on, "The
grounds of Heath Castle were beautiful once,
with walled gardens and sunken pools. Now I'm
told it looks like an overgrown jungle, full of
weeds. Nevertheless, I am hoping Julie will be
found 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 eager to visit Heath Castle!
She mentioned this to Mrs. Fenimore.
The woman smiled. "I'll lend you a key to the
front door that Walter left with me to give to
Julie. Joan dear, bring my jewel case here."
The little girl hurried off to get it. In a few
moments she returned with the box. Her mother
took the key from inside and handed it to Nancy.
"I wish you luck," Mrs. Fenimore said.
Before Nancy and Lieutenant Masters left the
house, they helped Joan prepare supper for her-
self and her mother. Wishing to spare Mrs. Feni-
more any further worry, they refrained from dis-
cussing the child's thieving instincts in depth.
As they drove away. Nancy remarked, "It's pos-
sible Juliana met with foul play."
"Yes," said Lieutenant Masters. "If that's true,
you may find yourself up against a dangerous ad-
versary."
When the two young women walked into head-
quarters a little later, the desk sergeant said,
"You're in luck. Miss Drew!" He held up her
stolen purse. "A patrolman found it in a trash
(an. Nothing but the money and the pearl was
taken."
Nancy was thrilled. "I'm especially glad to have
roy driver's license and car registration back,"
she said, "and the credit cards. Please thank the
patrolman for me."
The following day Nancy related Mrs. Feni-
more's story to her closest friends, Bess Marvin
and George Fayne, who had dropped in. The two
girls were cousins and helped Nancy when she was
working on a mystery. Bess was blond and slightly
plump. She was less inclined toward adventure
than her spunky cousin, an attractive brunette,
who liked athletics and was proud of having a
boy's name.
Bess said soberly, "It's a shame about Joan and
Teddy. I'll help you all I can with them."
George was eager to pursue work on the mys-
tery. "What are we waiting for?" she asked. "Why
not go now and explore the castle?"
Cautiously Bess asked, "Will it be safe?"
"It won't be easy," Nancy warned her friends.
"I was told the undergrowth is like a jungle.
Maybe the best way to get there is by motorboat
up the Muskoka River."
Twenty minutes later the three girls rented
a small motorboat at Campbell's Landing. The
craft was old and the engine clattered and threw
oil, but it was the only boat available.
"Lucky we all know how to swim," Bess said
with some misgiving as they pulled away from the
dock. "I have a feeling this old tub leaks and may
sink before we go very far."
"We'll be all right if George keeps busy with
the bailer!" Nancy laughed, heading the craft up-
stream.
The river was wide near town, but the upper
reaches were narrow and twisted and turned at
such sharp angles that fast travel was out of the
question. At the wheel. Nancy kept an alert
watch for shoals. Water was slowly seeping in at
the bow.
"It's really pretty out here, but so wild." Bess
commented, her gaze wandering along the solid
line of trees fringing the shores.
"Better forget the scenery for a while," Nancy
advised, "and give George a hand with the bail-
ing. If you don't, our shoes will be soaked."
The water was coming in faster now. Both Bess
and George worked vigorously, dipping the water
and throwing it over the side.
"Listen!" Nancy said presently. "What's that?"
Bess and George stopped bailing to look
around. They had heard no unusual sound.
"Another boat!" Nancy exclaimed as the noise
of an engine grew louder. "But where is it?"
Just then a small blue-and-white craft 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 boat seemed to be
unaware of the girls in their little craft. At high
speed he raced straight toward it. Desperately
Nancy spun the wheel. There was not enough
space to clear.
With a splintering crash the two boats collided!

CHAPTER III

A Runaway Boat

The speeding boat which had struck the girls'
craft now veered sharply away and raced down-
stream.
Meanwhile, the impact had caused Bess to lose
her balance. She hit her head on the side of the
boat and toppled into the water.
Instantly Nancy turned off the motor. If Bess
were unconscious, there was no time to lose!
George had already dived over the side. When
she located her cousin, she grasped the inert
form with her left arm and struck out with the
other for the boat. Nancy leaned over and helped
pull the unconscious Bess aboard.
"Is she-?" Nancy began.
At that moment Bess opened her eyes and
coughed several times. Nancy patted her on the
back.
"I'm-all-right," Bess said weakly. "Our
boat-" She tried to point.
For the first time the others realized that water
was filling the craft at an alarming rate through
a small hole in its side.
"Quick, George! Bail!" Nancy cried.
George picked up the bucket she had been us-
ing before and started to work. Nancy crumpled
up a newspaper lying on the bottom of the boat
and stuffed the hole with it. In a tackle box she
found a small burlap sack, which she rolled up
and added to the paper. In a moment the inflow
of rushing water was reduced to a trickle.
"Good!" George panted and sat down. "Now
we can chase that other boat!"
It was not in sight, however, and Nancy de-
cided it would be useless to try pursuing the faster
craft. She turned her attention to Bess.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"All right. But I'd like to go home."
"We will," said Nancy. "I'm afraid this boat
can't stand much more."
"I wish we hadn't lost the fellow who ruined
it," said George. "If I ever see him-"
"Would you recognize him?" Nancy asked.
George said she would not, and Bess had not
gotten a good look at him either.
"I saw him," Nancy said slowly. "I'm sure I'd
rcognize his face. And he was thin and wore a
light-blue cap."
The girls dreaded returning to Campbell's
Landing with their damaged craft. But when the
owner saw the damaged 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 care of it."
After saying good-by. Nancy drove her friends
home. As Bess got out of the car, she said, "I'm
sorry our trip to Heath Castle was ruined."
Nancy smiled. "We'll go another time."
The following day's investigation unearthed no
clue to the identity of the boatman. Though
Nancy described him and his blue-and-white craft
to several persons, not one of them was able to
identify it. Finally she thought of Salty the clam
digger.
"I'll drive down to his place on the river and
talk with him," she told Hannah Gruen. "He
might also know something about the Heath
estate."
Nancy invited Bess to go along and proceeded
toward the river. Sally's home was very quaint.
Once it had been a small, attractive yacht. Now
it was a beached wreck, weathered by sun and
rain. Its only claim to any former glory was the
Hag which flew proudly from the afterdeck.
"Anyone here?" Nancy called.
"Come in, come in!" the former sailor invited.
He was sitting with his feet up on a built-in table
and eating beans out of a can.

When he saw the girls, he stood up. "Ye honor
me, comin' here," he said, his blue eyes twinkling.
"But I'm goin' to have to disappoint ye. I've nary
a clam today."
"Oh. we didn't come to buy clams," Nancy re-
plied, glancing curiously at the furnishings of the
yacht. The room was small and cluttered, but
very clean. Salty's bunk was neatly made. On a
shelf above it was an amazing array of sea shells.
"I collect 'em," the sailor explained, following
Nancy's gaze. "Some o' those shells came from the
Orient, an' some from right here in the Mus-
koka."
He walked over to the shelf and pointed to a
curious specimen. "That's called the washboard
clam. It's one o' the biggest of our river clams.
And this is a whelk from the seashore. You can
get dye out of it when the critter's fresh."
"How interesting!" the girls exclaimed.
Pleased by their attention, the man showed
them other shells which were too large to stand
on the narrow shelf. One, measuring three feet
across, had come from an island in the Pacific.
Nancy grinned. "What a pearl that might
hold!" She told of her own loss, saying she was
glad the pearl was not large and valuable.
The former sailor showed the girls other treas-
ures from the sea; huge fluted specimens and
tiny, delicate shells. Amazed at the variety, Nancy
asked Salty if he had collected them during his
travels.
"No." The clam digger laughed. "Mr. Heath
gave 'em to me."
The name startled Nancy. "Not Walter Heath?"
"No. Ira Heath-Walt's father," Salty an-
swered. "He gave me the shells when he had his
button factory on the inlet."
"A button factory near here?" Bess asked in
surprise.
"It's been closed for years. It was shut down
when the supply o' fresh-water mussels gave out.
Mollusk mother-of-pearl shells are used, you
know, to make pearl buttons."
"What became of Mr. Heath?" Nancy inquired.
"Ira was born in England an' went back there
on a visit. He died in London. His son Walt was
left in charge here."
"Did Ira build the castle?" Bess asked.
Salty nodded, warming to the story. "Yes,
Heath Castle was built to look like one o' those
fancy English places. The gardens were beauti-
ful-a sight to set your eyes ablaze with admira-
tion. Stone walls everywhere, with flowers an'
vines, an' all kinds o' trees from everywhere in
the world."
Nancy was becoming more eager every minute
to see the estate.
"But for me," Salty went on, "the place is too
lonesome. No houses close by. The old gent built
it 'bout a mile up the river from the button
factory. Walter lived in it, too, an' he used to do
some o' his scientific experimentin' there."
"What kind of experiments?" Nancy asked.
"Don't know," said Salty. "Since Walt died, no
one ever goes near the castle, or the factory on
Harper's Inlet."
"Harper's Inlet?" Nancy repeated thoughtfully.
"Someone must have been there yesterday."
"That's right," Bess agreed. "We saw a motor-
boat coming out of the inlet. It crashed into our
boat."
"Queer," Salty commented. "I don't know
what business anyone would have at the factory.
Who was the fellow?"
"That's what we came to ask you," Nancy re-
plied.
She gave a complete account of the incident.
Salty could not identify the man or his boat from
her description, but he promised to watch tor
such a person.
"I'll keep an eye out for the boat, too," he
added. "Can't figure what the fellow would be
doin' there. Fishin's no good there. Maybe I'll
run up an' have a look."
Satisfied that Salty would be able to locate the
boat if anyone could. Nancy and Bess thanked
him and left.
As they stepped onto the dock they saw that
the weather had changed. Dark clouds filled the
sky and the wind was whipping the river into
whitecaps.
"I wanted to visit Heath Castle today," Nancy
said, "but it wouldn't be wise to take a boat out
now.
"Let's do it tomorrow," Bess suggested.
"Then George can go with us," Nancy said.
A surprise awaited Nancy when she reached
home. While she and Mrs. Gruen had been away,
the two rosebushes had been replanted in the
garden. They were only slightly wilted from hav-
ing been moved twice.
"Oh, I'm so glad Joan brought them back!"
Nancy declared. "I'm sure she wouldn't have
taken them if that Hooper boy hadn't urged her
to."
Nancy was pressing earth firmly about the
bushes when her father drove into the garage.
She stopped her work and ran to greet him. Mr.
Drew was a distinguished-looking man, tall and
handsome.
"I'm happy you're back from your trip," she
said.
"Hello, Nancy." He smiled. "How's the gar-
den?"
"Better today. The rosebushes that were taken
day before yesterday are home again."
The Drews went into the house together and
Nancy told him about the boat, the Fenimore
problems, and the mystery of Juliana's disap-
pearance.
"Dad, tell me all you can about Ira Heath and
his son Walter," she said. "Did you know them?"
"Only by reputation. For years they operated
a very successful pearl button factory. Then the
business went to pieces."
"I already know that part," Nancy said. "What
about Heath Castle? After Walter Heath died,
who took charge of the place?"
"Daniel Hector is the executor, I believe."
Nancy's mind flew to the unpleasant customer
in the curio dealer's shop.
"The lawyer?" she asked.
"Yes," Mr. Drew replied. "But I must say his
sharp practice of law never appealed to me."
"Do you think Mr. Hector did everything pos-
sible 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 at the height of her
career has always puzzled me."
"Apparently she left no clues behind."
"The case was a strange one," her father said.
"I guess her fiance was pretty broken up over her
disappearance. I've always wondered if he might
have had something to do with it." After a pause
he added, "Heath Castle might provide a key to
the mystery."
"I was thinking the same thing!" Nancy ex-
claimed with a mysterious twinkle in her eyes.
"Tomorrow I'll go there and take a look around
that castle and those old walls!"

CHAPTER IV

The Haunted Walk

Shortly after breakfast the following morning,
Nancy, Bess, and George drove to Heath Castle.
By studying a map of the area, they had dis-
covered a little-used road which led to the aban-
doned estate. Though this woodland route was
rough and dusty, Bess preferred it to another boat
trip.
"Hope we don't get a flat tire," Nancy re-
marked, maneuvering the car to avoid jagged
rocks. "How much farther is it?"
George peered at the odometer and noted that
they had traveled about five miles from the out-
skirts of River Heights.
"We're coming to something!" she exclaimed a
moment later.
Through the trees the girls caught a fleeting
glimpse of a tall tower. The car rounded a sharp
curve, blotting it from view. Then the road
ended abruptly in front of a high, vine-covered
stone wall.
"The front boundary of the estate!" Bess an-
nounced. "There's the name Heath Castle on the
gate."
Nancy jumped from the car and led the girls
to the iron gate. It was fastened by a heavy iron
chain, secured by a huge padlock.
"The key I have won't open this padlock,"
Nancy said. "It's tor the front door."
"Who put the padlock on?" Bess asked.
"Probably Daniel Hector, the executor,"
George replied.
"Whoever it was is determined to keep every-
one out," Nancy said thoughtfully.
"How do we get in?" Bess asked.
"Over the top, commando style," George
urged. "Lucky we wore jeans."
Nancy and Bess looked with misgivings at the
sharp iron spikes of the high, rusty gate.
"I don't like the idea of climbing over that.
There must be an easier way to get in," Nancy
said, her gaze roving along the crumbling, ivy-
covered wall.
The girls walked alongside for some distance.
Finally they came to a spot which was a bit lower
than the gate and offered good toe holds. It was
not difficult for them to grasp vines and pull
themselves to the top. Bess was reluctant to go,
but decided to follow. The three friends leaped
down on the other side of the wall and started
through the dense growth of trees and shrubs.
It was damp and cool beneath the canopy of
leaves. There were many eerie noises. As they
progressed, Bess said she felt very uneasy.
"Listen!" she commanded tensely. "What's
that?"
"The cooing of a pigeon," Nancy replied.
"Come along, or we'll all have the jitters."
Just ahead stretched a long avenue of oak trees,
which the girls thought might lead to the castle.
They tramped through the waist-high grass and
came to a vine-tangled, fern-matted bower. Two
handsome stone vases lay on their sides, broken.
Apparently rain water had filled them and frozen
during the winter, bursting the vases.
"What a shame this place is being neglected!"
Nancy commented, pausing a moment. "Mr.
Hector ought to take care of it. Surely there must
be money in Mr. Heath's estate set aside for that
purpose! If Juliana should come back, she would
hardly recognize the place."
At the end of the oak-lined avenue, the girls
came to a weather-stained loggia of stone. Its
four handsomely carved pillars rose to support a
balcony over which vines trailed. Steps led to the
upper part.
After mounting to the balcony. Nancy and her
friends obtained a fine view of the nearby gar-
dens. They had been laid out in formal sections,
each one bounded by a stone wall or an un-
trimmed hedge. Here and there were small cir-
cular pools, now heavy with lichens and moss,
and fountains with leaf-filled basins. Over the
treetops, about half a mile away, the girls could
see two stone towers.
"That's the castle," said George.
Amid the wild growth, Nancy spotted a bridge.
"Let's go that way," she suggested, starting down
from the balcony.
In a few minutes the trio had crossed the rick-
ety wooden span. Before them lay a slippery moss-
grown path.
"The Haunted Walk," Nancy read aloud the
name on a rustic sign.
"Why not try another approach?" Bess said
with a shiver. "This garden looks spooky enough
without deliberately inviting a meeting with
ghosts!"
"Oh, come on!" Nancy laughed, taking her
friend firmly by the arm. "It's only a name. Be-
sides, the walk may lead to something interest-
ing."
Spreading lilac bushes canopied the trail. Their
branches caught at Nancy's hair and clutched at
her clothing. Impatiently she pushed them aside
and held back the branches for her friends to pass
beneath.
"I wish we'd gone some other way," Bess com-
plained. "This is no fun."
"I think it is," Nancy replied. "It's mysterious
here! It's so-"
Her voice trailed away suddenly. George and
Bess glanced at her quickly. Nancy was staring
directly toward a giant evergreen.
"What is it?" Bess demanded fearfully.
"Nothing."
"You didn't act as if it were nothing," George
said to Nancy.
"I thought I saw something, but I must have
been mistaken."
Despite their coaxing, Nancy would not reveal
what had startled her. For an instant she thought
a pair of penetrating, human eyes had been star-
ing at the girls from behind the evergreen. Then
they had blinked shut and vanished.
"It must have been my imagination," Nancy
told herself.
She walked on hurriedly. As Bess and George
sensed her thoughts, they drew closer to the
young detective. Nancy rounded the evergreen
and saw that it partially hid a vine-covered, decay-
ing summerhouse.
The building was empty, but her eye quickly
caught a slight quivering of the vines beside the
doorway, although there was no wind. She stopped
short, struck by the realization that someone had
been lurking there 1 Quietly she told the others.
"I knew we shouldn't have chosen this walk,"
Bess muttered. "It is haunted."
"Haunted by a human being," Nancy said
grimly. "I wish I knew who was spying on us!"
There was no sign of anyone now. The girls
heard neither the rustle of leaves nor the sound of
retreating footsteps.
"Let's go back to the car," Bess proposed sud-
denly. "We've seen enough of this place."
"I haven't," Nancy said. "I'm getting more
curious every minute."
Not far from the summerhouse was a stone
wall. It occurred to Nancy that the person who
had observed them might have scrambled over it
to avoid detection. She announced her intention
of climbing up to make sure.
While Bess and George watched uneasily,
Nancy began to scale the vine-covered wall. Near
the top, however, she lost her footing. With a
suppressed cry, she fell backward!
George and Bess helped Nancy to her feet. Al-
though uninjured, she was visibly shaken.
"I guess I'd better not try that again," she said
ruefully.
"Those are the most sensible words I've heard
you say today!" Bess declared. "Let's get out of
here before we find ourselves in real trouble."
"I'm with you," George said. "I have an ap-
pointment in town, and anyway, it may rain."
Nancy was reluctant to leave the estate without
exploring the castle, but she had noticed that
clouds were darkening the sky.
"All right," she agreed. "But we'll come back!"
The girls retraced their way across the bridge.
From that point on, however, they could not find
the right direction to the road.
"We're probably a long way from the car,"
George said finally. "I'll climb a tree and see
if I can spot it."
Nimble as a monkey, she went high among the
branches. Then she shouted down that the river
was close by and the road far away.
"We've wandered a great distance from where
we started," George reported as she slid down the
tree and pointed out the route. "We must cut
straight through that woods ahead."
"Are you sure we won't get hopelessly lost?"
Bess asked.
"Just follow me."
Nancy and Bess were quite willing to have
George lead the way. She pushed ahead con-
fidently, tramping down the high grass and thrust-
ing aside thorny bushes. But as the going became
more difficult, her pace slackened.
"It seems to me we're moving in a wide circle,"
Nancy said at last.
George paused to catch her breath. Her gloomy
silence confirmed Nancy's suspicion.
"George, are we lost?" she asked.
"I don't know about you," the girl answered
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 any-
one building a home here!"
"If the roads were opened and some shrubs cut
down, the estate would be very lovely," Nancy
pointed out.
After resting for a few minutes the girls decided
to continue their trek. Nancy proved a better
pathfinder than George and before long they came
to recently trampled grass.
"Now I know where we are!" Nancy ex-
claimed Jubilantly. "We're near the front bound-
ary wall."
A few hundred feet farther on they saw the
wall itself and scrambled over it. The trio reached
the shelter of the car just as the first raindrops
splashed against the windshield. Fortunately
Nancy was able to drive to the paved highway
before the side road became a mire of mud.
She dropped the cousins at their houses, then
went home. Over a late lunch of milk and a
sandwich, she thought about the mystery.
"I might get some kind of a lead from Walter
Heath's will," she decided, "and I'd like to find
out where Juliana did her banking. There might
be a clue in the last withdrawals."
Nancy called Lieutenant Masters. "The police
couldn't locate any bank accounts," the officer
told her. "A very large sum of money was found
in Juliana's apartment in New York. But she had
several bills from stores, and by the time they
were paid from this cash, there was nothing left."
"Then that's a dead end," said Nancy. "How
about the will?"
"I don't know," said the officer. She agreed to
meet Nancy the next morning at the courthouse
to examine the document. Daniel Hector was
named as sole executor.
A quick reading confirmed what Mrs. Feni-
more had told her. The entire Heath estate had
been bequeathed to Juliana Johnson on the con-
dition that she claim it within five years of Wal-
ter Heath's death.
One clause in the will held Nancy's attention.
It read:
"It is my belief and hope that Juliana still lives
and will claim the property within the allotted
time. She will be able to identify herself in a
special way, thus insuring that no impostor can
receive my estate."
"I wonder what that means," Nancy mused.
"I haven't any idea," Lieutenant Masters said.
They went over the document again, but it
gave no clue to the way in which Juliana might
establish her identity.
"I must find out what Mr. Heath meant by
this," said Nancy. "Obviously it's a very impor-
tant duel"

CHAPTER V

Suspicious Figures

Nancy suggested to Lieutenant Masters that they
go at once to see Mrs. Fenimore. "She may know
by what special means Walter Heath expected
Juliana to identify herself."
The young officer agreed. She and Nancy drove
to the Fenimore house in their own cars. They
found the woman seated in the living room.
"Good morning," Mrs. Fenimore, who seemed
to be feeling better, greeted the visitors warmly.
She stared anxiously at the policewoman. "It's-
it's not Joan again?"
"No. In fact, my two rosebushes have been re-
turned. We came to ask you a few more questions
about your sister," Nancy replied.
The woman relaxed but spoke wearily. "I'll
tell you everything I can. A couple of years ago I
gave up hope that she would be found, but I've
never told Joan this."
"Then you believe that your sister may not be
living?" Nancy asked soberly.
"Oh no. I'm sure Julie is alive," Mrs. Fenimore
replied, "but I'm afraid she may have disappeared
for good, and I'll never see her again."
"Would you give us some personal information
about your sister?" Lieutenant Masters asked
kindly. "Was she younger than you?"
"No. Julie was seven years older. Our parents
died when we were children, and we lived with an
aunt who was pretty strict. I never minded Aunt
Mattie's scolding, but Julie, who was high
strung, resented it. She took dancing lessons
secretly, and when Aunt Mattie found out and
punished her for it, Julie ran away.
"For several years Julie danced wherever she
could get an engagement and studied during her
spare moments."
The policewoman asked, "Did you see Juliana
often after she became famous?"
"Only now and then. But she called me every
week. I was so excited when she became engaged
to Walter Heath. It was to be kept from the press,
so of course I told no one."
"Could anything have happened between Juli-
ana and Mr. Heath to make her unhappy enough
to disappear?" Nancy asked.
Mrs. Fenimore shook her head. "Julie was
beautiful and talented. He was handsome,
wealthy, and kind. They adored each other. I'm
sure he had nothing to do with her disappearance."
Mention of the deceased estate owner reminded
Nancy of the real purpose of her call. She asked
Mrs. Fenimore about the strange identification
clause in the will.
"I wondered myself what that meant 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! I detest him. All these
years he's only been pretending to search for
Julie."
"Pretending?"
"Once in a while he would call to tell me about
his attempts to find her but they sounded half-
hearted. Now he doesn't even phone. I'm sure
he's stopped trying. I'm counting on you. Nancy,
to solve the mystery."
Nancy promised to do everything she could to
trace the missing dancer. Secretly she wondered
if she could find the woman in time to save the
inheritance for her.
"May I see a photograph of your sister?" she
requested.
"I have a number of excellent ones," Mrs. Feni-
more replied. "I'll give you one. They're in the
drawer of this table."
She took them out. There were six, taken years
89
SUSPICIOUS FIGURES
before when the dancer was at the height of her
career. Several were inscribed with her name and
a greeting. The face was a distinctive one. Care-
fully Nancy noted the perfect features, the beauti-
ful dark eyes, the straight nose and firm chin.
"Julie may have changed a great deal since I
last saw her," Mrs. Fenimore remarked. "Ten
years have gone by."
"Your sister is lovely," Nancy commented.
"Joan looks a little like her."
"Yes, she does. And certainly my daughter has
Julie's vivacious ways. She's quite a little actress.
Maybe someday-"
Mrs. Fenimore looked sadly into space. Lieu-
tenant Masters, fearing the conversation had up-
set the woman, said they must leave.
"Please try not to worry," Nancy urged Mrs.
Fenimore who handed her a photograph as they
said good-by.
When she and the officer reached their cars,
Nancy thanked Lieutenant Masters for her help.
"Call on me any time," the young woman said
as she drove off.
Nancy decided to take a walk and think about
the case.
As she wandered up the street, children were
coming home from school to lunch. She saw Joan
playing with an older boy in a vacant lot. They
were tossing a ball for a dog to retrieve.
"That boy looks familiar," Nancy thought as
she walked over to the children. Suddenly, in a
fit of temper, the boy hit the dog with a stick.
"Cut it out!" he shouted. "You're chewing my
ball to pieces!"
Joan screamed.
"Stop that!" Nancy ordered. "The dog hasn't
hurt your ball. He was only playing."
The boy gazed at her with hard, unfriendly
eyes. "Is he your dog?" he asked impudently.
"No."
"Then it's none of your business if I hit him."
Nancy started to reply, but it was not neces-
sary. The dog dropped the ball and slunk off.
The boy picked it up. Then, giving Nancy a
baleful look, he ran away.
Nancy took Joan by the hand and led her off.
As tactfully as possible she suggested that the
child ought to find a girl playmate.
"Teddy Hooper's okay. He's the only one that
lives close to me," Joan replied, skipping happily
along beside her companion. "I don't like him
when he's mean, but most of the time he's a lot of
fun. He always thinks up exciting things to do."
"You'd better hurry home to lunch," Nancy
said. "I'll go with you. My car's there."
When they reached the house, Joan hugged
Nancy, then ran inside. Nancy was sure she had
made a firm friend of the little girl.
"I'm not far from Salty's," the young detec-
tive said to herself. "I'll drive there and find out
if he has seen that man who crashed into our
boat."
In a little while she came to the clam digger's
home. The sailor was on the shore repairing his
rowboat.
"Well, now, me lass, I'm glad to see you," he
said. "But I'm afraid I haven't got good news."
"You mean about the boat?"
"I've looked high an' low for that damaged
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 been there. "Too
busy," he explained. "Maybe I'll go this after-
noon. I need a mess o' clams an' there be some
up the inlet. You want to come along? I'll show
you the Heath factory."
For Nancy the opportunity was too good to
pass up. She was eager to visit the spot.
"Just tell me when to be here," she said.
After settling on three o'clock, she remarked,
"I'll bring along one of my friends."
Nancy hurried home for a quick lunch, then
telephoned George. Promptly at three o'clock
the two girls met Salty at the waterfront.
"I'll put ye to work," the sailor chuckled as he
gathered together his fishing and clamming
equipment. "Help me load these into the row-
boat, will you?"
The old man's muscular arms rippled as he
dug the oars into the tranquil waters of the
Muskoka River. Presently he and his passengers
were skimming along at a rapid rate. Behind the
craft trailed a long copper wire which gleamed
in the sunlight.
"I'm trollin' for my dinner tonight," Salty ex-
plained. "There's somethin' yankin' on my line
right now, I do believe 1"
He rested the oars and pulled in the line. Fi-
nally a four-pound speckled bass flopped into
the boat.
"She's a beauty," he said, grinning.
While the girls kept the craft from drifting
downstream. Salty removed the hook from the
fish and dropped his catch into a woven basket.
Then he wound up the copper troll line and put
it away.
"Fishin's not much good in the inlet," he re-
marked. "But we'll find clams."
The upper river was very still. As the boat
entered Harper's Inlet some time later, there was
no sound except the occasional chirping of a bird.
Nancy hunched low now and then, to avoid the
overhanging bushes and watched the coves for a
hidden boat. There was none.
"It doesn't look as if we're goin' to find your
friend," Salty remarked after he had rowed a
quarter of a mile upstream. "We're almost to
Heath's button factory now. I'll anchor here."
The man had located a bed of clams in the
shallow water. He asked the girls to balance his
fish basket on the gunwale, then waded in to dig
the clams from the mud and sand with his rake.
As he tossed them, one by one, he kept singing
snatches of familiar sea songs.
"Basket's full," Nancy called several minutes
later.
Salty got into the boat and started off again.
As they rounded a bend, the girls saw a large,
square building set some distance back from the
shore. The banks nearby were littered with dis-
carded bits of clamshells.
"That's the Heath button factory," Salty said.
"She's sure gone to pieces."
Nancy gazed curiously at the neglected brick
structure. Vines which had grown up the build-
ing's walls lay thick on the shingle roof and all
the windows were broken.
Suddenly Nancy spotted two figures near the
factory entrance. As they vanished into the build-
ing, Salty pointed to an object hidden near some
bushes.
"A boat!" he exclaimed. "And her prow's
damaged, too!"
The bow of the boat had been drawn up on the
sand. Nancy and George recognized it immedi-
ately as the blue-and-white craft that had struck
themi
"Oh, Salty, please pull in herel" Nancy begged.
As he did, she told him about the men.
"Humph!" Salty grunted. "I'll bet ye a mess
o' clams they ain't got no right in there!"
Nancy nodded. "I want to talk to them. Will
you stay here near the damaged boat? If the men
come out, try to hold them until we get back."
The sailor did not like being left out of the
search, but before he could protest, the girls were
splashing through knee-deep water to shore.

CHAPTER VI

A Mysterious Explosion

Nancy and George had to cross a stretch of low,
marshy land in order to reach the old button
factory. Their sneakers, already water-soaked, be-
came caked with mud. The girls were grateful for
the high wild grass that screened their approach.
"You know," Nancy said, "those two men
looked familiar."
"Who are they?"
"I'm not sure, but one of them was thin and
wore a blue cap like the fellow who crashed into
our motorboat. The other resembled Daniel
Hector, the lawyer."
While still twenty yards from the factory, the
girls were startled to hear the sound of hammer-
ing. The pounding noise came from inside the
building.
"I wonder what those men are doing in there,"
Nancy said, cautiously pulling aside the tall vines.
"Maybe they're workmen who were sent to re-
pair the place," George replied.
Nancy offered no comment. It was possible that
Daniel Hector had brought another man to the
property either to inspect it, or to do some work.
But she seriously doubted this.
As the girls moved closer, the hammering
ceased. Though they waited several minutes, it
did not resume.
"We may have been seen by the men," Nancy
said. "I hope they haven't left."
When George and Nancy had pushed through
to the end of the marsh, they saw that the front
door to the factory stood wide open. Nancy peered
inside. A long corridor opened into several of-
fices and led to a large workroom at the rear. No
one was in sight.
As the girls started along the hallway, they
heard retreating footsteps. They glanced out a
dirt-smudged window and noticed two men run-
ning in the direction of the river.
"Oh, Nancy," George exclaimed, "they must
have heard us!"
"They're going to their boat!" Nancy said ex-
citedly.
Already the men were well hidden by the high
marsh grass. The girls ran quickly toward a rear
door, with Nancy far in the lead. As they neared
it, deafening sounds of an explosion filled the
air. The walls of the factory rocked. A huge
amount of plaster crashed down between the
girls.
"Nancy!" George cried out in panic as she
gazed at the high pile of debris that separated
them. One whole corridor wall had caved in.
"Nancy must be buried underneath it!" George
thought in horror.
The air was thick with white dust. Coughing
and choking, George frantically began to pull
away boards and chunks of plaster.
In the meantime the two men, who had paused
in the tall grass, were just about to go back to the
factory when they heard someone running up the
path. Salty, fearful for the girls' safety, was racing
toward the building, clam rake over his shoulder.
He passed within a few feet of the men, but did
not see them.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" he kept mumbling. "I
hope nothin's happened to the lassies!"
He found George still digging feverishly at the
pile of debris.
"Salty!" the girl cried. "I can't find Nancy!
She must be buried!"
The old man began raking furiously at the pile
of plaster that blocked the corridor. At that mo-
ment Nancy was lying stunned on the floor of a
closet some distance from where her friends were
working. The force of the explosion had hurled
her into the large storage closet, then the door had
slammed shut. The corridor ceiling had fallen,
sealing off the entrance to the closet.
When she regained consciousness Nancy found
herself in total darkness and wondered where she
was. Slowly the dazed girl got to her feet and felt
around her prison. At last she found a door and
tried it. It would not budge, and there was no
other exit.
"What'll I do?" she thought. "And where is
George?"
Suddenly Nancy heard her name being called.
With all her strength she pushed against the
door. It yielded slightly. Through the crack she
shouted, "George!"
"Nancy! Where are you?" came a muffled reply.
"Here! In the closet!"
Salty and George leaped across the rubble.
With the rake and their hands and feet they
cleared away enough of the debris to free Nancy.
As she squeezed outside, Salty mumbled:
"Thank goodness you're alive!"
George embraced her friend in excited relief.
"You feel all right?"
"I think so. What caused the explosion?"
Suddenly Nancy recalled the two men 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. "I saw no
one."
Nancy, George, and Salty plunged through the
marsh grass toward the riverbank. The damaged
motorboat was no longer there.
"Those rascals sneaked away, drat 'em!" Salty
muttered in disgust. "Do you think that makes
'em guilty, Nancy?"
"Guilty on two counts," the girl replied.
"Guilty of damaging the boat I rented, and most
likely, guilty of causing the explosion."
"But why set off an explosion?" George asked.
Nancy shrugged. She did not want to mention
any of her theories just yet, but it occurred to her
that Daniel Hector may have been covering up
some incriminating evidence against himself. Mrs.
Fenimore had vehemently declared that she did
not trust the lawyer.
During the trip back to Salty's dock, the clam
digger and the girls kept their eyes open for the
blue-and-white motorboat. But they did not see it.
"I'll be glad to take ye on a trip again," the
amiable man offered when they reached River
Heights.
Nancy thanked him. On the way home she was
thoughtful, and could hardly wait for the moment
when she could talk to her father. In his den after
dinner she told about Daniel Hector's apparent
connection with the explosion at the Heath but-
ton factory.
"But why would Hector want to damage prop-
erty he's obligated to look after?" Mr. Drew asked.
"It doesn't make sense."
"I'm sure there's a great deal more to the Heath
case than Juliana's disappearance," Nancy de-
clared. "The explosion today, for example. There
may be something pretty sinister in back of it all."
"I agree with you," Mr. Drew said soberly.
"Nancy, I know it's useless to ask you to give up
trying to solve a mystery-"
"Oh, it is, Dad!"
"At least I can ask you to be careful. Remem-
ber, you're my one and only daughter."
"I'll keep it in mind," she said, hugging him
affectionately. "Now, about the Heath affair. Isn't
it possible that Hector has been investigating the
property himself, hoping to discover the due
Walter Heath mentioned in his will?"
"You mean the one by which Juliana can iden-
tify herself beyond all doubt?"
"Yes, Dad. If a dishonest person stumbled upon
that clue, it might be possible for him to have an
impostor claim the fortune."
"That wouldn't be so easy, Nancy. A number
of persons knew Juliana."
"But," Nancy countered, "if she has been
through a terrible experience of some kind, she
could have changed so much even her own sister
wouldn't recognize her."
"True. I follow your reasoning. Nevertheless,
any woman who put in a claim would have to
satisfy the court that it was a just one."
Nancy glanced steadily at her father. "Do you
think Mr. Hector has really tried to find Juliana?
If he isn't honest-"
"Nancy, I don't like to think the man would be
involved in anything underhanded. I don't ap-
prove of his methods in handling law cases, but
there is no proof that he has actually done any-
thing dishonest."
"But you admit," Nancy said, "that the Heath
case looks suspicious?"
"Yes, I do, Nancy."
His daughter went on, "I've even thought that
maybe Juliana is being held a prisoner some-
where."
Mr. Drew looked surprised. "In the castle?"
"Who knows?" Nancy replied. "Dad, I can't
decide where to begin looking for her. The ex-
plosion today kind of changed my plans."
"In what way?"
"I heard that Walter Heath made scientific ex-
periments at his estate. If Mr. Hector suspects
there's a secret within those crumbling walls-"
Mr. Drew gazed at Nancy. "Young lady, you're
leading up to something!" he declared with a
twinkle in his eye. "Out with it!"
"I'm only trying to arouse your curiosity,"
Nancy confessed with a laugh. "Why not go to the
factory with me? You may find a clue I over-
looked. I need your help. Dad."
"Well, if you put it that way," her father said,
"Actually, I haven't the time to spare, but I'll go
to please you."
"Tomorrow morning then."
"So soon?"
"Dad, don't forget, I must solve this mystery in
three weeks!"

CHAPTER VII

A Puzzling Message

Nancy and her father were up early the next
morning. They hastily made breakfast before
Hannah came downstairs, then drove to the lane
Mr. Drew knew led to the damaged button fac-
tory. The road was in very bad condition, and
there was no gate.
"I see why those men came by boat," said Mr.
Drew, stopping the car some distance from the
building. "We'll walk from here."
Nancy led the way through the dew-laden grass
to the scene of the explosion. There was no sign
of anyone near the factory.
"The explosion did a good job of destruction,"
the lawyer commented as the Drews cautiously en-
tered the building.
"Here's where the wall caved in between
George and me," Nancy explained.
"Looks as if it might have been dynamited,"
her father remarked. "Let's see if we can find any
evidence."
For the next half hour father and daughter
scrambled among the rubble. When they discov-
ered nothing of importance in the corridor, they
decided to investigate the large workroom at the
rear. It was necessary to go outside and climb in
through a window to reach the room, because the
inside entrance was blocked.
"Oh, it's like a ghost town," Nancy said as she
surveyed the rusted machinery covered with lay-
ers of dust. "To think that this once was a pros-
perous factory, Dad." She pointed. "What was this
machine used for?"
"Cutting," her father explained. "The mollusk
shell is placed inside. An operator moves a lever
and down comes the circular steel saw. Presto! A
little shell disk drops into the hopper. Another
machine slices the disk into pieces of uniform
thickness and there you have some pearl but-
tons!"
"How clever!" said Nancy.
"The buttons pass through still another ma-
chine which polishes them," Mr. Drew went on.
"In the last operation thread holes are drilled
through them."
"Dad! Look!" Nancy cried suddenly.
A scrap of torn paper was sticking from a
comer of the rubble in the doorway. Near it, in
a thick layer of dust, were several footprints.
Nancy picked up the paper which had part of a
message on it. The writing was bold and read:
               Dear C,
                     Some
               cret which I
               in a wall
               famous
               worthy
"Interesting," Mr. Drew commented, scanning
the paper. "But I can't say that it makes much
sense. The footprints might be a better clue."
He stooped to examine them. "Freshly made,
no doubt," he said. "Perhaps the two men have
visited here since the explosion."
"If so, it proves they're searching for some-
thing they think was hidden and could be found
only by blasting it out."
"Not necessarily. The explosion could have
been an accident, or was set off for some other
purpose and may have nothing to do with Juli-
ana's inheritance," Mr. Drew remarked.
Nancy was staring at the torn note. "I believe
I've stumbled upon a worthwhile clue just the
same. I'm sure the partially missing word is se-
cret"
She pocketed the message and reluctantly left
the factory with her father. At home, later on,
Nancy spent more than an hour trying to figure
out the missing words of the note. Who had
written them? The paper appeared old, the ink
slightly faded.
"It wouldn't surprise me if Walter Heath had
written this," she told Hannah Gruen.
"I know how you might find out!" the house-
keeper said.
"How?"
"Walter Heath was a member of the River
Heights Historical Society before his death. I'm
sure the society has specimens of his handwrit-
ing."
"Hannah, you're a genius!" Nancy cried, giv-
ing the woman a hug. "I'm off to the Historical
Society this very minute!"
Luck was with the young detective. On labels,
books, and pieces of furniture which Walter
Heath had given to the organization's museum
she found several samples of the deceased estate
owner's handwriting.
"It's the same as that in the note!" Nancy ob-
served excitedly. "Now, if only I can find the miss-
ing part of the message 1 But Daniel Hector may
have the rest!"
Nancy decided to seek her father's aid once
more and asked him to talk to the lawyer about
the Heath case. Carson Drew did, and then re-
ported to his daughter. "Hector certainly was
reluctant to discuss the case."
"Didn't he tell you anything?" Nancy asked.
"Nothing worth mentioning. As soon as I spoke
of Heath Castle and the button factory, he dosed
up as tight as Salty's clams!"
"Did you mention Juliana's name?"
"Yes. Mr. Hector stressed that he was still
searching for her."
The Heath Castle mystery was no nearer a solu-
tion than before. Eager as Nancy was to revisit
the estate that afternoon, she found it impossible.
Her father had made her promise not to go there
alone. Neither Bess nor George was free to ac-
company her until the next day.
The next day, after Sunday church services,
the three girls set out in Nancy's car, carrying a
picnic lunch. On the way Nancy explained the
latest developments in the mystery. She added,
"Nothing must drive us away from the castle
grounds until we've investigated every nook and
corner!"
Soon the familiar ivy-covered front boundary
wall loomed ahead. Nancy parked beneath a cool
tunnel of overhanging trees. The car was well
hidden.
She and her friends got out and walked to the
rusty gate and peered between the bars. The
grounds seemed as deserted as ever, but suddenly
the girls heard dogs barking.
"Listen 1" Nancy exclaimed. An instant later
she added, "They're inside the grounds!"
"And coming closer," Bess said nervously.
"That settles it. We can't possibly go in now!"
She wanted to return to the car, but George
and Nancy lingered, reluctant to leave. Soon they
glimpsed two large black-and-white hounds.
"Dangerous-looking brutes," George com-
mented. "Evidently they've been left here on
guard."
When the dogs saw the intruders they barked
louder than ever. One of them came to the gate,
growled fiercely at Nancy, and clawed the iron
bars with his front paws.
Instead of retreating, she spoke soothingly to
him. "Hello, old fellow. When did you come to
live here?"
To the amazement of Bess, the animal began to
wag his tail. Nancy reached a hand through the
gate and patted his head.
"Be careful!" Bess warned sharply.
The other dog had stopped barking and now
came forward, too. Nancy stroked his head.
"These dogs are not vicious," she said. "Girls,
I'm sure we can explore the grounds safely."
"I'm willing to try if you are," George said.
Bess was afraid of the dogs but agreed to go.
"I'll climb over first," Nancy said. "If they
don't attack me, you two follow."
George and Bess watched uneasily as their
friend climbed the crumbling wall. On the ledge
she hesitated a moment. The dogs had set up a
loud barking again. Nancy realized that although
the animals had been friendly to her on the op-
posite side of the enclosure, there was no guaran-
tee they would let her enter the grounds.
"Don't attempt it!" Bess called.
Nancy spoke gently but firmly to the hounds.
Then, taking a chance, she lowered herself gradu-
ally. One of the dogs leaped up to her. Nancy's
heart began to beat wildly, but she showed no
fear.
"Easy, boy," she murmured. To her relief, the
animal became friendly once more.
"It's all right," Nancy called to her friends, and
continued to pat the hounds. She talked to them
as George climbed the wall and leaped down.
The dogs did not make a fuss. As soon as Bess's
head appeared, however, they began to snarl.
"They'll leave you alone if you don't show any
fear," Nancy assured her.
But it was impossible for Bess to do this. "Go
on without me," she said after two vain attempts.
"I'll wait in the car."
"All right," Nancy agreed, adding with a grin,
"Don't eat up all the lunch while we're gone!"
She and George set off. The dogs remained be-
hind. Soon the girls located the avenue of trees
which led to the loggia.
"Here's a path that may go to the castle,"
Nancy said as they came to a forked trail.
"Maybe." George smiled. "But here's a sign
that reads To the Goblin Gallery."
"Let's see where it goes," Nancy urged.
They passed a finely chiseled statuette in a wall
niche, lingered a moment to gaze at a rose garden
choked with weeds, then went on to a clearing.
Before them rose an artistic structure. The sides
were formed of slender twisted stone columns,
while sprawling over them was a roof of un-
trimmed vines supported by thick stalks.
"How pretty!" Nancy said dreamily.
George, surveying the gallery closely, remarked
practically, "It looks as if Father Time has taken
over here instead of the goblins. Those stone
columns might tumble down any minute."
Remarking that she was amazed stone could be
damaged so greatly by weather, Nancy stooped
to inspect the base of one of the pillars. "George!"
she exclaimed suddenly. "Someone has deliber-
ately 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 other columns,
Nancy told George about the note she had found
at the Heath button factory and the word* "in a
wall."
"I'm sure someone is searching various walls of
that old building for an article of value," she said.
"But why try to destroy these lovely columns?"
"Maybe the person didn't find what he wanted
in the walls, and was looking in the columns."
George was not listening attentively to her
friend. Instead, she was gazing down the path as
if transfixed.
"What do you see?" Nancy asked in a low voice.
George motioned toward the bushes. "It's an
old man!" she whispered. "He's pointing his fin-
ger at something ahead of us!"
Nancy was startled too when she saw the man
amid the heavy shrubbery. Her pulse quickened
as she moved toward the figure. Nearing it, she
laughed softly.
"Why, it's only a life-size statue, George!"
Embarrassed, her friend went over to inspect
the figure.
"That pointing finger might have a special
significance," Nancy said, noting the path ahead.
"Let's see where this takes us."
The trail had been nearly obliterated by weeds.
It twisted in and out among the trees and seemed
to lead nowhere. The girls were about to turn
back when Nancy caught a flash of water in sun-
light.
The girls made their way through the under-
growth and came out on the shore of a very large
pond dotted with rank grass. George hurried
ahead to look at it.
"Why do you suppose someone pointed the
statue to this? It doesn't look like any-"
Her words ended in a little scream as the soft
bank beneath her feet gave way. Before Nancy
could grab her, George had slipped into the
water. It was not deep but she was soaked.
"Hypers! Look at me! I'm a mess!" George
cried out. "And say, this water is kind of salty."
Nancy helped her friend scramble up the slip-
pery bank. She gazed about her and noticed a
stone house nearby. Apparently it once had been
used as a tool shed.
"Go in there and get out of your wet clothes,"
she advised George. "I'll lay them in the sun.
They shouldn't take long to dry."
Quickly George ducked into the stone 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 on the 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 and purple.
After a moment's hesitation Nancy stripped off
shoes and socks and waded into the shallow water.
When she dipped her hands into the sand, she dis-
covered that the bottom was thick with mussels.
Among them were discarded shells with the same
lovely blending of colors. Nearby on the shore
she spotted a large pile of cracked shells and went
to examine them.
"Why are they here?" she wondered. "These
are seashore whelks." Then Nancy remembered
what Salty had told her about dye being obtained
from this type of shellfish and that Walter Heath
had spent much of his time on scientific experi-
ments. "Suppose he was using the whelks to make
a special kind of dye!"
Nancy tucked two unbroken shells into her
shirt pocket. As she put on her shoes she thought
of the hacked stone columns and the explosion at
the factory. "Someone may be looking for a secret
connected with Walter Heath's experiments!"
"Nancy 1" George called. "Are my clothes dry?"
Nancy rose and felt them. "Not yet."
"I'm getting hungry," George complained.
"And Bess will have a fit if we don't go back
soon."
At that moment Bess was fuming in Nancy's
concealed car. As the sun climbed high overhead
and the girls failed to return, she became hun-
gry and annoyed.
"Guess they've forgotten me," she thought. To
add to her irritation, the hounds would dash back
to the gate whenever she walked over to look
through it. They bayed savagely.
"Oh," Bess fretted, "wait until I see Nancy and
George. I'll-"
Just then she heard a car coming up the road.
Bess barely had time to hide herself in the bushes
before it swung around the bend. She was glad
that she had followed her instinct for she was sure
from Nancy's description that the driver was
Daniel Hector. He was alone.
The lawyer stopped in front of the gate but did
not shut off the engine. He got out of his two-
door car, leaving the door on his wide open.
"He's going to drive into the grounds!" Bess
thought. "Nancy and George will be caught! I
must warn them!"
Her anxiety mounting, Bess tried to think what
to do. Mr. Hector still had his back turned toward
her as he unlocked the big gates. The car was less
than ten feet away from her hiding place.
There was little time for Bess to think or plan.
Impulsively she darted to the car. After climbing
into the back, she crouched on the floor.
Hector returned to the automobile. Unaware of
his passenger, he drove through the opening into
the estate grounds!

CHAPTER VIII

Locked In!

"George, would you mind if I do a little explor-
ing?" Nancy asked. "I'll be back by the time your
clothes are dry."
"Okay," George called.
"I'm not going far. I've found some whelk
shells, and I think they may indicate something
important. Maybe dye made from them is hidden
in containers nearby."
"They're not in here," George said.
Nancy moved off, looking about carefully for
any possible place where dye might have been
stored. She found none, and in her search wan-
dered farther than she had intended.
Nancy paused abruptly as she became aware of
a low rumble which shook the earth. "What's
that?" she wondered.
She stood still and waited for more sounds, but
there were none. In the distance, however, a cloud
of white, powdery dust caught her attention.
"Another explosion!" she murmured excitedly.
Cautiously Nancy went toward the area, but soon
her path was blocked by a high brier hedge.
After following the bushes some distance to
find an opening, the young detective was startled
to hear a car.
"Somebody with a key to the gate padlock must
have driven into the estate grounds!" she
thought.
As the sound drew nearer, Nancy decided to
find out who was coming. She plunged through
the woodland and reached a weed-grown clearing
just as Daniel Hector drove up and stopped.
Nancy backed quickly into the shelter of the
bushes. The lawyer did not see her. He parked
his car under a gnarled maple, got out, and set
off on foot.
"I'll follow him," Nancy decided.
Mr. Hector walked so fast that she could
scarcely keep him in sight. He seemed thoroughly
acquainted with the layout of the trails, for he
never hesitated when he came to a turn.
Before long the man vanished from view.
When Nancy came to a fork in the path, she
wondered which way he had gone. Fearful she
would lose track of him entirely. Nancy pressed
her ear to the ground and very faintly could dis-
cern a steady beat to her right. She hastened on.
Presently the trail branched off in three direc-
tions. Again Nancy was baffled. When she flat-
tened herself on the ground this time, she could
hear nothing.
"I've lost him!" she thought in dismay.
Nancy chose a path at random and went on
doggedly. She was so intent on her sleuthing she
completely forgot about George and Bess.
Meanwhile Bess, still hidden in Daniel Hec-
tor's car, was wondering what to do. "I'd better
find George and Nancy," she decided.
She cautiously climbed out and started up the
trail the lawyer had taken. Bess had not gone far
when the dogs began to bark. They were coming
closer each moment!
"They've picked up my scent!" Bess was in a
panic.
The hounds leaped into view. In terror, Bess
shinned up a tree and hoped the dogs would pass
by. Instead they took up a vigil at the base of the
trunk.
By this time George had grown tired of wait-
ing for Nancy to return to the tool house. From
the window she could see her clothes, apparently
dry, on the sunny bank of the pond.
"I can't wait another minute!" she thought im-
patiently. "I'll get them myself!"
George went to the door and stopped short. A
boy in faded overalls had emerged from among
the trees. He seemed to be eleven or twelve years
old.
George slipped out of sight behind the door
and watched him. He suddenly snatched 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 in despair. "Now
what'll I do? Nancy's done a disappearing act, and
I'm stranded here without any clothes!"
Nancy, unaware of her friends' problems, was
intent on another subject. The trail she had
chosen had not led her to Daniel Hector, but to
Heath Castle. She could not resist the temptation
to see the wonderful building at close range.
Its beauty, even at a distance, awed her. It was
constructed of massive gray stone covered with
ivy. The roof line was broken by several turrets,
a large one at each end of the residence, with
smaller ones in between.
"It's a perfect copy of an old English castle,"
Nancy thought, "only smaller."
Curious, she began to circle the castle walls.
"What a pity this stately home has to stand in the
midst of ruined gardens!" she mused.
A massive side door of the big house stood ajar.
Nancy wondered if Mr. Hector had opened it.
Quietly she slipped inside.
She found herself in a long corridor which
twisted and turned crazily. Large rooms lined
with beautiful paneled wood opened from it.
Many were empty, others contained a few pieces
of fine old mahogany furniture. At a glance it
was apparent to Nancy that nearly everything of
value had been removed from the place.
"Odd," she said to herself. "I thought the castle
was left to Juliana intact. Did thieves break in or
did Hector sell the furniture?"
The inside wooden shutters in the gloomy
rooms were closed, lending a ghostly appearance
to the few sheet-draped chairs. The unexpected
sight of herself in a long mirror gave Nancy a
start.
Before long she found steps leading to the sec-
ond floor. A search of the rooms there, including
the many closets, revealed nothing of special in-
terest.
"The only places left to visit are the towers,"
Nancy thought. "But how do I get into them?"
She could locate no entrance. Then, glancing
from a window, she realized that the castle was
built around a hollow square which was another
tangled garden. Nancy figured that some of the
smaller turrets actually were bedrooms. The high
towers must be separate, with doors opening from
the courtyard.
Nancy hurried down the stairway to hunt for
an exit to the inner garden. At length she found a
door in the shadows of the corridor. After trip-
ping the bolt so she would not lock herself out,
Nancy stepped into the sunshine.
She glanced around and discovered that her
guess had been right. There were entrance doors
to the two high, round towers. She opened the
one on her left. It held one room which had a low
ceiling and contained nothing. The walls, how-
ever, had been chipped and damaged.
"Even the castle hasn't escaped the hackers!"
Nancy mused. She turned her attention to the
other tower, glad that the massive door to it was
unlocked. It was hollow and only dimly lighted by
a high window. A circular iron stairway led to a
small balcony at the top.
Nancy looked around on the ground floor but
saw nothing of interest. She climbed up and
found a little door at the head of the stairway.
Cautiously pushing on it, she peered beyond.
As her eyes became accustomed to the somber
light, she saw that there was nothing in the tiny
room, nor on the open parapet beyond it. In dis-
appointment, Nancy leaned on the wide rail.
"All this work just to get a view," she thought.
"But at least I have an idea of the layout."
Suddenly her attention focused on a figure
running far in the distance. A boy had moved to-
ward the wall and was carrying a bundle under
his arm. Just before he disappeared from sight be-
hind tall trees, he dropped something. It looked
like a pair of slacks.
"Oh, my goodness!" Nancy thought with a fear-
ful pang of conscience. "Maybe he stole George's
clothes! I should never have left her alone at the
tool house. And the boy looked like Teddy
Hooper!"
The youngster appeared again, but this time
outside the walls, running across the beach to-
ward a boat. "There must be a way out besides
the main gate," Nancy thought. Since the boy
was much too far away for her to call him, she
quickly retraced her steps to the courtyard door
below.
When she tried to pull it open, the door would
not budge. She yanked and yanked. Finally she
realized that somebody must have locked it! She
tried the key she had to the castle, but it did not
fit.
She was a prisoner in the tower!
"Oh, I must get out!" she murmured.
Nancy refused to panic and told herself there
must be some way to escape! She returned to the
open parapet and looked about. It was a forty-foot
drop to the ground and there was no possible way
to climb down the tower wall.
Thoroughly discouraged. Nancy went to try the
locked door again. As she twisted the knob vainly,
she heard voices. Her heart leaped! Two men
were outside.
"We'll get caught, I tell you!" one was arguing
in a loud voice. "And if we do, the old man'll say
he never saw us before!"
Nancy wondered if "the old man" might be
Hector.
"Oh, quit worrying," the other man growled.
"Just leave the brainwork of this job to me. We'll
find that clue yet. It's somewhere in one of the
walls of the estate."
"Yeah? Which wall?" the first man asked sar-
castically. "The place is full of them. Anyhow,
I'm satisfied with what we've found and kept."
"When he sees all the walls we've blasted, he
can't say we didn't do a pretty thorough job for
him." The other snickered.
The voices faded out, and Nancy assumed that
the two speakers had moved away. Who were
they? Their voices had been unfamiliar.
"Well, a few of my theories are confirmed, any-
way," Nancy said to herself. "The walls of Heath
Castle and the gardens have been damaged de-
liberately, and on orders from a person who wants
to find a valuable secret."
Nancy hoped to catch a glimpse of the men and
returned to the parapet. She did not see them, but
a moment later heard them whistling and calling
to the dogs. Then all became quiet.
"They've gone," Nancy thought in relief.
"Maybe I should have let them know I was in
here when I had the chance. But no, they're not
honest, and they probably would have ruined all
my plans. I'll get out somehow!"
Nancy was in a predicament, nevertheless.
George, stranded without clothes at the tool
house, could not help her. Bess, she assumed,
was still waiting in the parked car outside the
castle gate.
Nancy roved restlessly about the ground floor
of the tower in her vain search for an exit. Look-
ing at her watch for the first time, the imprisoned
girl was amazed to discover that it was after four
o'clock-and she was hungry!
"By this time Bess and George must be pretty
annoyed with me," she thought guiltily.
While Nancy worried, Bess was perched in a
tree a considerable distance from the castle. Sur-
rounded by the watchful dogs, she would not
descend for fear they might tear her to pieces 1
Badly shaken and near tears, she suddenly
heard a 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 she decided it
would do no good to look for Nancy and George.
If they had not encountered Mr. Hector already,
they surely would have returned to the car.
"I'll go back there," Bess concluded. "But
which way?"
Hopelessly confused, she started off. After a
while Bess came to the estate wall. Just ahead of
her she noticed something in the grass.
"George's slacks!" Bess thought with a start.
There was no sign of either her cousin or
Nancy. Bess could not believe that they had gone
for a swim. As she picked up the slacks, she won-
dered apprehensively what had happened.
"This path seems to run along the wall," Bess
said to herself. "If I take it, I should get back to
the gate eventually."
But she found that the trail changed direction.
Instead of the main gate she reached a large pond.
"Oh, where am I?" Bess fretted desperately.
Suddenly she heard her name called. She
whirled around. No one was in sight. A few yards
away stood a stone tool house, its window hidden
by overhanging branches.
"Bess!" George shouted impatiently. "Over
here! I'm in the tool house!"
Bess hastened to the small building and looked
inside.
"I've been stranded here for hours!" George
fumed.
"How did you lose your clothes?"
"I fell into the water and took them off to dry.
Nancy put them on the bank. Then she went off
to do some exploring. A boy came along and ran
away with my things!"
"How terrible! What became of Nancy?"
"I wish I knew. She's been gone a long while.
But tell me, how did you get up your courage to
climb the wall?"
When Bess told of her secret ride with Hector,
George burst into laughter despite her worry
about Nancy.
Then she sobered. "Hector is on the grounds!
Maybe Nancy ran into him!"
The cousins were not sure what they should do.
Finally Bess said, "Let's go back to the car. Nancy
might be there."
"How can I go anywhere like this?" George
cried.
Bess handed the girl her slacks. "I found these
by the wall. The boy must have dropped them.
And you can wear my sweater. I'll be warm
enough in my blouse."
George put on the clothes and was relieved to
find her sneakers still lying near the bank of the
pond. The girls hurried off.
Without meeting anyone, or being attacked by
the dogs, they managed to find their way to the
front wall and climbed over. 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 in an awful
mess!"
"We'll have to find Nancy, that's all there is
to it," Bess declared.
Each of the girls ate a sandwich from the picnic
lunch, then started to scale the wall again. On the
ledge they hesitated. The dogs had come back and
began to growl fiercely.
"Maybe if we feed them-" George said. She
got the rest of the sandwiches from the car. At
the sight of the food the hounds became friendly,
but the instant they had gobbled it up, they lay
down on the ground, panting. Again and again
George tried to descend, but each time the dogs
rose menacingly.
Bess would not even try to re-enter the grounds.
"It's no use," she said.
"I suppose you're right," George said, and
jumped down on the outside.
"Tell you what," Bess said. "You stay here and
I'll go for help!"

CHAPTER IX

Trap Door

For hours Nancy had refused to acknowledge that
there was no means of escape from the tower. She
had pried at the lock with a nail file from her bag.
She had tried to break the door panels by sheer
force, but their strength had defied her.
Now she wandered aimlessly about the dimly
lighted circular room. Hungry and thirsty, she
grew more and more desperate. What had become
of George? And Bess? In utter dismay Nancy
realized that she had the car keys with her.
She sank down on the bottom step of the wind-
ing iron staircase to try to figure things out.
Staring straight ahead at the dusty wooden floor,
she thought, "This is the worst trap I've ever been
in!"
Suddenly she became aware of something in the
floor. A tiny crack outlined a space about three
feet square. Because of the gloom and dust, she
had not noticed it before.
"Speaking of traps," Nancy muttered, "maybe
this is a trap door!"
Quickly she dropped to her hands and knees
and inspected the crack. Obviously it marked the
outline of an opening, but there was no ring or
handle with which to pull up the wood.
Nancy pried at first with her fingers, then with
the nail file. The slender bit of steel snapped in
her hands!
"Oh, how can I get this door open?" she
thought, looking for something heavier.
There was not a single object in the tower
room. After a while she sighed in despair. The
room seemed to be growing stuffy. Or was it be-
cause she felt almost ill from hunger? Her tongue
parched and her head aching, she slowly climbed
the stairs and went out on the parapet for some
fresh air.
The sky became overcast. In a short time it
would be almost dark. Except for the occasional
hoot of an owl and the intermittent croaking of
frogs, there was no sound.
Then suddenly Nancy heard approaching foot-
steps. Her first impulse was to shout, but intu-
ition warned her to remain silent.
Cautiously she looked over the parapet. A man
was unlocking the door far below her! He
snapped on a flashlight and entered the tower.
Nancy's heart pounded. Should she walk boldly
down the stairs and try to bluff her way out?
"No," she decided. "I'm sure something sinister
is going on at Heath Castle, and this man proba-
bly is involved. Maybe I can get out of here while
he's busy. He may have opened that trap door and
gone below."
Nancy tiptoed across the little balcony room.
Suddenly a light flashed through the open door-
way. The beam missed her by a fraction of an
inch!
As she shrank into the shadows, Nancy heard
the man coming up the iron staircase. With sink-
ing heart, she stepped in back of the door and
pressed herself against the wall.
The intruder went directly to the parapet. As
Nancy peered out, he began to flash his light
slowly as if he were signaling. The backward re-
flection of the rays dimly revealed his face. Nancy
had never seen this cruel-looking man before.
Though the young detective longed to watch
what he was doing, she dared not linger. Silently
she slipped through the door and darted down the
steps. Upon reaching the courtyard garden, she
hurried to the arched doorway. Luckily it was still
unlocked.
Nancy groped her way through the dark corri-
dor in the castle. A moment later she bumped her
knee into a piece of furniture and struck it so
hard that she nearly cried out in pain.
Precious minutes were lost as she carefully felt
along walls for a door to the grounds. At last her
efforts were rewarded. With a deep sigh of relief,
she rushed into the open.
"What an adventure!" Nancy shuddered.
"Now if only I can find George and Bess!"
Nancy made her way back to the tool house.
It was empty. From there she walked toward the
main gate, but because of weed-grown paths and
treacherous rocks it took her quite a while before
she saw the vague outline of a wall ahead of her.
"I hope it's close to the gate," she thought.
"Oh-"
Something was moving through the bushes. In
an instant the stillness was broken by the sharp
barking of dogs.
"Can I make it?" Nancy wondered. She leaped
for the wall and scrambled up just as the two
hounds arrived. Breathlessly she dropped to the
other side. Five minutes later she came to the car.
To her amazement and delight George was hud-
dled on the back seat. She was half asleep.
"George!"
The girl sat bolt upright. "Nancy!"
"I'm so sorry I left you," Nancy apologized,
then asked, "Where's Bess?"
"Gone to get your father. What in the world
happened to you?"
"Plenty. But first, tell me what time Bess left."
"It seems hours ago. It's a long walk to a bus
or a phone. Somebody should be here any minute,
though."
As the girls sat in the car, they told each other
their adventures.
"After Bess left," George concluded, "I heard
a noise in the distance. I hid in the bushes near
the gate. Mr. Hector drove out. While he was
locking the gate, I peeked into his car to see if
you were there. I really expected you to be lying
on the floor, bound and gagged!"
"I was a prisoner, all right, but not tied up."
"I'd like to find the boy who took my clothes,"
George said grimly.
"Did you recognize him?"
"I never saw him before. He was about twelve
years old. But I'd like to wring his neck."
"I spotted him from the tower," Nancy said.
"He looked like Teddy Hooper, but I'm not
sure."
George changed the subject. "Where do you
suppose that man in the tower came from. No one
besides Hector drove in here."
"He must have entered from the beach, the way
the boy did," Nancy replied.
Headlights cut the darkness. Was it Carson
Drew? Or was Daniel Hector returning?
The two girls ducked out of sight. The car
stopped and Bess alighted.
"Why, George is gone!" she exclaimed.
"No, she isn't," her cousin spoke up, coming
out of hiding.
Nancy was already running to the car from
which her father had stepped. In an instant she
was in his arms.
"Why, Dad, you're trembling!" she said.
"Nancy, Nancy, I'm so glad to see you. You
gave me such a fright. Where-?"
"I'm sorry I made a mess of things," his daugh-
ter apologized. "But maybe you'll forgive me
when you hear what happened."
"Tell me about it on the way back. Bess can
drive George and herself home in your car. We'll
follow them, and you can take the car the rest of
the way."
On the drive to River Heights Mr. Drew lis-
tened to Nancy's story without comment. "I'm
convinced," she concluded, "that a group is
searching for something at Heath Castle. The
walls there aren't crumbling from age. They're
being tampered with!"
"I agree it looks mighty suspicious," Mr. Drew
said. "And Daniel Hector seems to be involved.
But suppose you put the whole case out of your
mind until you've had a square meal."
Upon reaching home, Nancy went directly to
the kitchen. Hannah Gruen, who had been nearly
beside herself with worry, embraced the girl.
"You poor child!" she said. "I'll fix you a warm
supper right away."
Hannah hastened to prepare the meal. Too
hungry to wait, Nancy helped herself to a glass of
milk and a few cookies. As she ate and drank, she
related her adventure to the housekeeper.
"Oh, Nancy!" Mrs. Gruen sighed. "Your love
of mystery will prove your undoing! You must be
more careful."
Mr. Drew said, "I think you'd better stay away
from Heath Castle."
"Oh, Dad!" she protested.
"Why not forget the whole affair for a few
days?"
"But time is so short-"
"As it happens, I'm going away on a little trip,
Nancy. I thought you might enjoy coming along."
Nancy shook her head. "If you'll excuse me,
Dad, I believe I'd rather stay here and try to solve
the mystery of Juliana."
"I'm sorry," Mr. Drew said, his eyes twinkling.
"I thought Hampton might prove of interest to
you, especially since it was the town where Juli-
ana Johnson was advised to go."
Nancy could scarcely believe her ears. "Say that
again, Dad!"
"I was talking with Dr. Gibson in Henryville
today," Mr. Drew revealed. "I learned he was Juli-
ana'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. Juliana was thin
and run-down, so the doctor advised her to take a
vacation. He suggested she slip off to a quiet
place without letting anyone know where she was
going."
"Did the doctor know where she went?"
"No, but he had suggested Hampton. At the
time of her disappearance, the police tried to lo-
cate her there, but were unsuccessful."
"Oh, Dad, I give in," Nancy said excitedly.
"I'll go with you!"
"I rather thought you would," Mr. Drew said
with a smile.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow morning. Better pack tonight!"

CHAPTER X

In Search of a Clue

When Nancy appeared in the kitchen the next
morning, Hannah Gruen said cheerily, "Good
morning. There's a letter for you I think you'll
want to see right away."
Nancy went to the hall table to get it. A glance
at the handwriting caused her pulse to quicken.
The letter was from Ned Nickerson!
Nancy eagerly opened the envelope. She missed
her special friend who had gone to South America
on a school project.
Ned wrote, "I'm doing some interesting work,
but I miss you and the fun we had solving mys-
teries. I'll bet you're head over heels in one this
very minute!"
"Right you are, Ned!" Nancy smiled happily
as she tucked the letter away for another reading.
Mr. Drew came downstairs and said they
should eat at once and then leave. Nancy sug-
gested that they stop at Mrs. Fenimore's house.
She wanted to ask a question about Juliana.
"All right," Mr. Drew agreed.
Mrs. Fenimore said she was happy to see Nancy
again and pleased to meet her father.
"We're en route to Hampton," Mr. Drew ex-
plained. "I've given your sister's strange disap-
pearance considerable thought. Apparently she
abandoned her career very suddenly."
"Oh, Juliana loved her work!" Mrs. Fenimore
protested. "Of course, she was tired, but a few
weeks' rest should have restored her to good
health."
Nancy remarked. "But after leaving here, Juli
ana never danced again-at least not under her
own name. She may be doing some other kind of
work. Did your sister have any special aptitudes
for something besides dancing?"
Mrs. Fenimore shrugged. "She loved garden-
ing."
There was nothing more the woman could tell
the Drews, so Nancy and her father said good-by.
"You know," the lawyer commented as he led
the way to the car, "Juliana may have married."
"But, Dad, she was engaged to Walter Heath!"
"True. Well, perhaps in Hampton we'll find a
clue to her disappearance."
Mr. Drew got into the car. Nancy was about to
follow when she observed a thin, sharp-faced
woman with unkempt hair hanging clothes in the
yard adjoining the Fenimore house.
"That must be Teddy Hooper's mother," she
thought. Her attention was not centered on the
woman, but on the clothes she was pinning to the
line. A blue shirt looked familiar to Nancy.
"If that isn't George's stolen shirt, it's just like
it!" she decided. On impulse she 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 every day."
Nancy asked Mrs- Hooper if Teddy liked to go
boating on the river.
"All boys play around the water," the woman
answered. Then she added quickly, "He ain't
been on the river lately, though."
Nancy was convinced Mrs. Hooper was not
telling the truth. "That's a lovely shirt," she went
on.
"Ain't I got a right to have nice things, like
other folks?" the woman demanded defiantly.
"Why, certainly," Nancy said evenly. But she
was still sure the shirt belonged to George.
"You must be another one of those snoopy
policewomen!" Teddy's mother snapped. "Well,
I won't talk to you!" She snatched the shirt from
the line and hurried into the house.
Nancy returned to the car and related the con-
versation to her father. "I must talk to Teddy
when we get back," she added.
The Drews started for Hampton. An un-
expected detour extended the trip by many miles,
and a lunch with slow service delayed them. They
did not arrive until two-thirty at the Hampton
Motel.
"Meet me here at six, Nancy," the lawyer said
and drove off.
The young detective decided there was no use
going to the usual places to make inquiries about
Juliana, since the police had investigated them
years ago.
"If Juliana wanted to live here incognito,
where would she go?" Nancy asked herself. She
felt that inconspicuous tourist homes might be
the answer.
She hurried to the Chamber of Commerce and
obtained a list of guesthouses. With the photo-
graph of Juliana for identification of the dancer,
she walked from one house to another. Some of
the owners recognized the woman in the picture,
but none had rented a room to her. Finally Nancy
rang the doorbell of the last place on her list.
After a few minutes a small, gray-haired woman
appeared.
"If you're looking for a room, I'm afraid I'll
have to disappoint you," she said before Nancy
could speak. "I don't take guests any more."
"I don't want a room," Nancy replied with a
smile. "I came to ask about someone who might
have stayed with you at some time." She showed
the photograph.
"Come in," the woman said cordially. "I think
I can help you!"
Nancy's heart leaped. Could it be true?
"I'm Mrs. Delbert," the woman said 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 give you?"
"Let me think. I remember now. She was Miss
Flower. Julia Flower. Is she a friend of yours?"
"Mrs. Delbert, it she really was the person in
this picture, she was a famous dancer who dis-
appeared ten years ago. I know her sister."
It was Mrs. Delbert's turn to look shocked.
"My, my!" she said. "How dreadful! It was ten
years ago that she was here."
"Just one more question: Did Miss Flower say
where she was going after she left here?"
"Yes, she spoke of staying on a farm between
Hopewell and Plainville, but she didn't tell me
the name of the people."
"Is it far from here?" Nancy asked.
"About thirty miles. Miss Flower said she'd
take the bus and walk into the farm from the
main road. All she had was a purse and a small
suitcase."
"You have a terrific memory," Nancy said.
Mrs. Delbert smiled. "Julia Flower was the
most beautiful guest I ever had!"
Nancy got up and put an arm around the
woman. "Thank you so much," she said. "You've
been a great help." After saying good-by, Nancy
hurried back to the motel and told her father
what she had learned.
"You've done well. Nancy, and picked up an
excellent clue. You should have a reward for that
good bit of detecting."
Nancy grinned. "As a reward, will you take me
to Plainville when you finish your work here?"
"Yes, indeed. I'll be through by noon to-
morrow."
The Drews checked out at twelve o'clock the
next day and drove toward Plainville. When they
came to Hopewell, Nancy suggested they inquire
at police headquarters about the missing dancer.
She spoke to a middle-aged sergeant 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 and I were called on
an accident case. A young woman had been struck
by a car on a side road and was found unconscious
and badly bruised. Hit-and-run driver and no wit-
nesses. She was taken to a hospital in Plainville.
No identification or purse or luggage."
"Probably stolen," Mr. Drew commented.
"She looked a little like the person in this
photograph," the officer went on. "A funny thing
about the case was, when nurses undressed her at
the hospital, they found several thousands of dol-
lars on her."
"Did the police find out why?" Nancy asked.
"No. She insisted she had drawn it from her
savings account because she was traveling. Why
don't you stop at the hospital? Maybe they can
answer your questions."
Nancy said she was grateful for this good lead.
She returned to the car and told her father. They
set off at once for the hospital.
The superintendent received them courteously.
After hearing their story, she showed them some
old records. No one by the name of Juliana or
Julie Johnson had been a patient at the institu-
tion, but a Julia Flower had been!
Only the word "traveler" had been written in
the space for the home address.
The superintendent anticipated Nancy's next
question. "Where did she go after she was released
from here? I don't know."
Seeing the girl's disappointment, she said, "You
might talk to Joe. He's been our maintenance
man for twenty years. A friendly fellow. And his
memory tor patients is amazing."
While Mr. Drew waited in the lobby, Nancy
went to the basement to find Joe. When she
showed him the photograph, a wide grin spread
over his face.
"Indeed I remember that girl. She called her-
self Julia Flower. I felt sorry for her 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?" Nancy asked.
"I overheard Dr. Barnes tell Miss Flower she'd
never be able to walk properly again."
"Is Dr. Barnes still with the hospital?"
"No. He went to New York to head up a large
clinic."
"How about nurses who took care of her?"
Nancy inquired.
"I remember one. She was nice-Miss Emily
Foster. I don't know what became of her."
"Do you have any idea where Miss Flower
went?"
Joe shook his head. "She didn't say."
The man's information threw new light on the
mystery. Nancy thanked him and hurried back to
her father.
"Such an injury could have prevented Juliana
from ever dancing again," she said.
Mr. Drew nodded. "The thought of her admir-
ers feeling pity for her may have been too much
for Juliana to bear. Perhaps she dropped out of
sight on purpose!"
"She probably took an assumed name in order
to avoid publicity, then disappeared because she
didn't want to be a burden to her sister," Nancy
said. "Juliana's pride kept her from marrying
Walter Heath." Nancy paused a moment. "Oh,
Dad, we're really getting somewhere 1"
At the main desk Nancy and her father tried to
obtain the doctor's and the nurse's address.
"Dr. Barnes died three years ago," the re-
ceptionist said. "As for Emily Foster, I have an
old address, but I understand she left the place
some time ago. However, the people who live
there might be able to tell you where she is."
While Mr. Drew registered at the local motel
for his daughter and himself, Nancy hurried on
foot to the designated address. To her disappoint-
ment she found the residence occupied by new
tenants who had never heard of Emily Foster.
"Another blind alley!" Nancy sighed as she
started back to join her father.
As she walked along the street Nancy became
aware of a man walking a little distance behind
her. At first she thought nothing of it, but after
three blocks she concluded someone must be
following her.
Nancy quickened her pace. After six blocks,
she still had not shaken the person and decided
to get a good look at him. She dropped her hand-
bag on purpose. As she turned to pick it up,
Nancy gazed directly at the man. He wore a
brown suit and had a sharp, angular face and dark
eyes.
When he realized that Nancy knew she was
being followed, he wheeled around and turned
down a side street.
"He was tailing me!" Nancy thought.
She had never seen the man before and won-
dered why he was trailing her. She was eager to
tell her father, but found that he had invited a
client to dinner. By ten o'clock, after the caller
had gone, she had stopped thinking about the
incident.
Before retiring, father and daughter sat down
in Mr. Drew's bedroom to discuss the mystery.
"Isn't Emily Foster our best lead yet?" Nancy
asked.
Mr. Drew did not answer; in tact, for several
seconds he had not been paying strict attention
to Nancy's conversation. Now, so suddenly that
the young detective was startled, he tiptoed to the
door and yanked it open.
A man in a brown suit crouched just outside.
Thrown off balance, he fell forward into the
room.

CHAPTER XI

A Warning

"So you were eavesdropping!" Mr. Drew said
sternly as he pulled the man to his feet.
"No, that's not true!" the fellow stammered.
After recovering his balance, he tried to retreat.
Mr. Drew blocked the doorway. "Sit down!"
he ordered the man into the room. "We want to
talk to you."
Nancy recognized the man as the one who had
followed her.
"What were you doing outside my door?" Mr.
Drew asked him sharply.
"Nothing," he replied in a sullen voice. "I
thought this room belonged to a friend."
"That's hard to believe, but easy enough 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 that you
trailed me today!"
The stranger squirmed uneasily in the 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 for questioning."
"No, no! Don't do that! I'll tell anything you
want to know-except my name," 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 on where Miss
Drew went, whom she talked to, and what she
did."
Mr. Drew turned so that the man could not see
him full face. With a wink and a quick movement
of his hand he signaled Nancy to step into the ad-
joining room. For a moment the young detective
was puzzled. Then it dawned upon her that her
rather wanted her to slip quietly downstairs and
arrange to have the stranger followed.
"So you won't tell us your name?" Mr. Drew
repeated, facing the stranger once more and walk-
ing up so close to him the man could not see
Nancy.
"No. I won't," the man replied.
Nancy stole noiselessly into the adjoining room.
She hastened downstairs and used a public tele-
phone to call police headquarters. After identify-
ing her father and herself, she said, "Please send
a plainclothesman at once. I'll meet him in the
lobby and explain everything when he arrives.
How will I know him?"
"He'll pretend to have a bad cold," the officer
said.
Nancy was worried that the detective might not
reach the hotel in time. But in less than five min-
utes a man entered coughing uncontrollably. She
told him why he had been called and asked him
to trail the eavesdropper.
"Here he comes now!" she whispered as the
brown-suited stranger emerged from an elevator.
"He must not see me!"
She hid behind a pillar and noticed with satis-
faction that the eavesdropper did not realize he
was being followed from the hotel. Then she went
upstairs.
Mr. Drew praised his daughter tor having in-
terpreted his signals correctly. "By the way," he
asked, "have you called Hannah since we left
home? There may be some messages for us."
At once Nancy dialed the Drew number. Han-
nah Gruen answered.
"I'm glad you phoned," she said. "I tried to
reach you in Hampton, but you had already left."
"Is anything wrong?"
"Mrs. Fenimore called this morning and
wanted to see you."
"Mrs. Fenimore?" Nancy echoed in curiosity.
"Did she say why she called?"
"She wouldn't tell me over the phone," Han-
nah resumed. "When I told her you weren't
home, she said you had to be warned to be care-
ful."
"Careful of what?"
"She thinks you're in danger. Oh, Nancy, I'll
be so relieved when you're home again safe and
unharmed."
"We'll be back tomorrow," Nancy assured her.
"Don't worry."
After completing the call Nancy speculated on
why Mrs. Fenimore thought the young detective
was in danger. Could the woman have learned
that Nancy was to be shadowed? It was too late,
she decided, to call Mrs. Fenimore. "I'll see her
tomorrow."
Nancy and her father waited until midnight to
hear from the plainclothesman. When he failed
to return to the hotel, they telephoned head-
quarters. The officer had not checked in yet.
In the morning there was no word either, so
Mr. Drew requested that a full report be sent to
him in River Heights.
After Nancy arrived home in the afternoon, she
lost no time calling on Mrs. Fenimore. The
woman was reclining on a couch. She was ex-
hausted from strain and worry.
"I shouldn't have become so upset," she said.
"But Mr. Hector's attitude always disturbs me."
"He came to see you?"
"Yes. I had a dreadful session with him. He
asked me so many questions."
"About your sister?"
The woman nodded. "He wanted to know it I
had hired someone to search tor Julie."
"Did you mention my name?"
"Well, I did say you had offered to help me,"
Mrs. Fenimore admitted, "though I feel unhappy
about having told him. 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 heard him talk! He
said he wouldn't let anyone meddle in his affairs.
He acted as if Heath Castle belongs to him!"
"Mr. Hector is worried," Nancy commented,
frowning. "His remarks and the fact that he came
to talk to you regarding your sister indicate a
guilty conscience."
"Would you risk going to Heath Castle again,
Nancy?"
"I would if I could accomplish something," the
young detective said. "But I believe the mystery
may be solved in another way."
She thought it best not to tell Mrs. Fenimore
about the possibility that her sister might have
been crippled as a result of an automobile acci-
dent. She merely said there was an interesting
new lead to follow, one which would not involve
her coming in contact with Daniel Hector.
Later, at home. Nancy reviewed the develop-
ments in the mystery. Intruders prowling around
the Heath estate were looking for something im-
portant. She had heard them mention the clue in
a stone wall and unnamed items they had already
found. Where did Hector fit in? Were they all
working together? What-if anything-did the
search have to do with Juliana's disappearance?
"And then there's the man who was eavesdrop-
ping," Nancy thought as she opened the top
drawer of her dresser to get a handkerchief. There
lay the torn note she had found in the debris at
the Heath factory. In the recent excitement she
had forgotten about it,
"This may be my most valuable clue," she
chided herself. "I must try to figure it out."
She sat down to piece out the message. Just
then the telephone rang. The caller was George
who wanted to know how the detective work was
progressing.
"I have a clue to your stolen clothes," Nancy
said, and told of the shirt at Mrs. Hooper's.
"Why, the nerve of that woman!" George cried
indignantly "I'm going there at once and demand
that she return my property!"
"You can't prove anything, George," Nancy
said. "Better forget the matter for the time being,
and come over here. I have lots to tell you. Bring
Bess along."
"Be there pronto," George replied and hung
up.
"If it was really Teddy who took those clothes,"
Nancy reasoned, "what was he doing in the Heath
gardens?" She was still trying to figure this out
when her friends arrived. Nancy told them every-
thing that had happened on her trip.
"Poor Juliana!" Bess said. "How dreadful to
have her career cut off that way!"
"I wish you could have found the nurse Emily
Foster," George added. "Well, what are you going
to work on next?"
"This note, or rather, this piece of a note."
Nancy produced the bit of paper and the girls
pored over it for some time, each with a pencil
and paper, trying to fill in the lines to form a logi-
cal message. Bess was the first one to claim having
pieced together the missing words.
"Listen to this," she said. "I've got it!
            " 'Dear C,
                     Some place is the se-
               cret which I hid
               in a wall. I want to be
               famous. If I can sell it, I will be
               worthy 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 at the paper before
her. Suddenly she jumped up from the chair and
said, "The solution to this mystery might be right
in this very house!"
Without explaining her strange remark, Nancy
ran from her room and down the stairs. A few
minutes later she returned with a large book.
"How in the world are you going to find Juli-
ana with that?" George asked.
The book contained a collection of colored
photographs and descriptions of famous old
homes and gardens in England.
"I forgot I had this," Nancy said, quickly turn-
ing the pages. "Look here!"
"Heath Castle!" exclaimed George.
"The original one in England. Only it wasn't
called Heath, of course."
"And the gardens," cried Bess as they scanned
picture after picture. Nancy was reading a de-
scription under one of them when suddenly a
paragraph below caught her eyes.
"Listen to this! I think we have the clue we've
been looking for!"

CHAPTER XII

Secret Entrance

George and Bess studied the paragraph to which
Nancy had pointed. It had been written in Mid-
dle English. Nancy had learned in school to read
the works of the poet Chaucer, who wrote in that
language. Eagerly she translated the quotation.
" 'I have hidden my treasures in the niches of
the cloister through which, all unsuspecting, the
noble men and fair ladies pass each day to
bathe.'"
"Sounds quaint," Bess said. "But how does it
help us?"
"Don't you see?" Nancy said. "Ira Heath built
his estate to resemble the one in England. Prob-
ably he and his son knew about the old cloister."
"Granted." George nodded. "But so what?"
"If the Heaths had a treasure to hide, wouldn't
their cloister have been a good place to put it?"
"Do you really think they had a treasure?" Bess
asked.
"I don't know," Nancy replied, "but I have a
hunch they did. We know certain men are search-
ing for a clue, but they also mentioned having
found other things. Perhaps those were part of
the treasure."
"Is there a cloister in the Heath gardens?"
George asked. "I haven't seen one."
Nancy turned the page. The three girls looked
at the picture on it, which showed a long passage-
way flanked by columns leading toward a river.
"This is the cloister!" said Nancy excitedly.
"Oh, I wonder whether there's one at Heath
Castle!"
"You didn't notice it from the tower?" Bess in-
quired.
"N-no," Nancy answered slowly. "But there
was something leading from the castle toward the
river-a kind of tunnel covered with vines."
"I'll bet that's it," George said enthusiastically.
"Listen! The bell. Someone's at the door."
Nancy went downstairs to see who it was. The
caller proved to be Salty.
"And how are ye, lass?" he asked with a smile.
"Sorry I can't give ye any report about that fellow
what crashed into ye. I been lookin' high an' low
for his boat, but I ain't seen any part o' her."
"Thank you. You've been very helpful," Nancy
said, then added, "Salty, I'm thinking of going to
the Heath gardens by boat. Have you ever noticed
a-a sort of tunnel there, leading from the
beach?"
"Can't say I have," the clam digger replied.
"Are you figurin' on lookin' for one?"
Nancy smiled as she said, "Perhaps some time
when you're not busy-"
Salty suddenly slapped his thigh and chuckled.
"Women!" he said. "They never come right out
an' say what they want. Nancy, I'll meet you an'
your friends at Campbell's Landing ten o'clock
sharp tomorrow mornin', barrin' rain."
Nancy thanked him. "Another thing, Salty. I'd
like to find out about Walter Heath's experi-
ments. Are you sure you can't tell me more about
them?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know a thing
more. But maybe Sam Weatherby can help ye."
"The curio dealer?"
"Sam worked at the Heath factory before he
went into business for himself. He knew Walt as
well as anyone in town."
"Then I'll go to sec Sam Weatherby!" Nancy
said, grateful for the information.
Soon after Salty had gone down the 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," he greeted her
cheerfully. "Did you bring that pearl and the
shell I offered to buy?"
Nancy told him the pearl had been stolen.
"That's too bad," the man said sympathetically.
"Well, maybe you'll find a bigger one."
"I hope so," Nancy said with a smile. "But
right now I'm more interested in Walter Heath's
experiments."
She told about the pile of crushed and broken
whelk shells she had found at the pond. "The
colors were so beautiful, I've been wondering if
he was trying to make dye from them."
"You guessed right," Mr. Weatherby said, eye-
ing her intently. "So far as I know, Walt had no
luck, but he kept working at it. And once he said
to me, 'Sam, even if I don't succeed in making a
fortune in dye, there's another treasure on my
estate.' Then he winked and said, 'It's right in
plain sight, tool'"
"What did he mean by that?" Nancy asked.
The dealer shrugged. "Who knows? Walt was
like that-full of riddles and secrets. In one way
his experimental work brought him luck."
"How?"
"He found a big pearl; at least, that's what he
told me. Said he was going to present it to a young
lady friend of his-a dancer."
Nancy blinked in astonishment at the reve-
lation. Had he really given the pearl to Juliana?
Or was it hidden in one of the cloister walls? And
was that what someone was looking for?
Nancy thanked the curio dealer for his infor-
mation and turned to leave. An object in the
showcase caught her eye. Lying in a velvet-lined
case was the antique charm from a man's watch
chain that Daniel Hector had sold to Mr.
Weatherby.
"Handsome, isn't it?" the jeweler remarked,
taking the charm from its case. "An old English
family design. A genuine heirloom."
Nancy admired the piece of jewelry. Mr.
Weatherby also showed her a pair of earrings, a
bracelet, and a brooch, all bearing the same de-
sign.
"Daniel Hector sold me this entire set," Mr.
Weatherby revealed. "That lawyer is a hard cus-
tomer, though. He argues for the last penny."
"Did he inherit these from English ancestors?"
Nancy asked.
"That's what he said. Between you and me, I
think he got them from a client who couldn't pay
a bill."
Nancy wondered if Hector had received the
charm and the other pieces of jewelry honestly,
but kept quiet.
When Nancy reached home she learned that
during her absence a call had come from Hope-
well. Either she or her father was to get in touch
with the man who had phoned.
"He was a detective," Hannah Gruen told her,
"and he wouldn't give me a message."
Nancy called headquarters at Hopewell. The
plainclothesman was out at the time but had left
his report for her. The stranger he had shadowed
the night before had driven to River Heights.
From there he had gone to the abandoned Heath
factory to meet another man.
"If I only knew who that person was!" Nancy
exclaimed.
"I have a description of him," said the police
sergeant and read it. Nancy was almost certain he
was the same man who had damaged her motor-
boat 1 She thanked the officer, then hung up. The
young detective mulled over what she had just
heard.
Obviously the intruders at Heath Castle knew
she was working on the case and had sent someone
to shadow her. Would they stop there? Or was
she in danger? Her father was out of town on
business, so she could not discuss the matter with
him. Finally she went to bed.
The next morning Nancy put the key to the
front door of Heath Castle in a pocket of her
slacks, then hastened to Campbell's Landing. She
was the first to arrive and arranged to rent a
motorboat. She was just getting it ready when
George and Bess arrived. Finally Salty showed up
in his rowboat, which he fastened securely to the
larger craft, then jumped in with the girls.
"All set!" he announced. "Cast off!"
The girls enjoyed the ride upstream; not only
because it was beautiful on the river, but because
the clam digger entertained them with songs and
stories of the sea.
Soon the girls saw the high turrets of Heath
Castle in the distance. Nancy recalled the man she
had seen signaling from one of them with a flash-
light.
"His helper was probably waiting on the
water," she thought.
The shoreline was matted thickly with bushes,
and only a narrow beach was visible. Above it
stood a high, weather-stained wall, the river bar-
rier of Heath Castle.
"Let's anchor the motorboat in the river and
take the little one ashore," Salty suggested.
They untied the rowboat and climbed aboard.
With powerful strokes the sailor sent it surging
through the water. Presently it grounded on the
shore and they stepped out.
The girls left Salty, who wanted to look for
clams along the beach. The young sleuths turned
their attention to the high wall which marked the
rear boundary of the Heath estate. Only the tree-
tops above the gardens were visible. Directly in
front of the wall grew tall brier bushes.
Nancy and her friends walked along the beach.
"That boy who stole your clothes seemed to ap-
pear out of nowhere," Nancy said. "I didn't see
him scale a wall. He must have reached the beach
some other way."
"You mean by the cloister?" asked Bess.
"Maybe. I'm sure there's an opening along
here."
Pushing ahead, she began to examine the base.
Finally, parting some brier bushes, she saw several
large stones which apparently never had been ce-
mented into the wall. She pushed against the
center one. It moved easily!
"Girls, this may be an entrance!" Nancy cried
out.

CHAPTER XIII

Treasure!

Nancy pressed against the center stone in the wall.
It moved inward to reveal a flight of eight steps
leading upward to an arched passageway.
"The cloister!" Bess and George exclaimed.
One side of the passageway was set with square
stone columns. Heavy vines grew up and over
them, forming a roof of leaves through which sun-
light filtered into the cool tunnel. The other side
was a high crumbling fieldstone wall with deep
alcoves about twenty-five feet apart.
"Just like the picture we saw in the book!" Bess
said. "Oh, what an attractive walk to the beach!"
"Now to find the hidden treasure," George
said. "Come on!"
Hopefully the girls examined the niches along
the wall, some of which had built-in stone shelves.
In one, a statuette lay on its side; in another, a
vase had tipped over and broken.
George felt among the vines. "Nothing here-"
she started to say when Nancy interrupted her.
She held up a finger in warning.
"Listen!" she whispered.
The three girls stood still. Faintly they heard
men's voices from the other side of the wall. They
stole along the flagstones cautiously, hardly daring
to breathe. As they reached another niche, the
deep voices came to them distinctly.
"This looks like a good spot!" one man said,
making no attempt to speak low. "Bring your
pick, Cobb."
Nancy recognized the voices. She had heard
them the night of her imprisonment in the tower!
The men started to work with chisel, pick, and
sledgehammer. Tiny stones and bits of mortar
rattled down at the girls' feet.
"They're wrecking this lovely wall!" George
whispered indignantly.
Just then a decorative ledge in the alcove came
loose and threatened to crash to the flagstone
floor. Quickly Nancy stepped forward and caught
the slab. With Bess's help, she laid it carefully on
the ground.
Nancy straightened up and gasped as she
looked at the wall niche. Where the ledge had
been, a long, narrow pocket was now exposed!
Nancy ran her hand into the dark opening.
Her groping fingers touched something cold and
hard.
A metal box!
"Nancy!" George warned in a whisper.
Directly above the girl's hand a stone chisel was
poking through the wall. In another moment the
men would succeed in making a large opening
into the niche!
Nancy drew out the flat metal box, then the
three girls turned and fled through the cloister
toward the castle. The sound of the men working
gradually died away.
"We're safe!" Nancy exclaimed. "Now let's
open the box!"
Her hands trembled with excitement as she
lifted the lid of the rusty container.
"Hm!" said George. "Only papers and photo-
graphs."
Bess, too, was disappointed. "There's nothing
valuable here I And after all our trouble, too!"
"Let's not be too hasty," Nancy advised, and
lifted out the top photograph carefully. Yellowed
with age, it showed a middle-aged man in old-
fashioned clothes. At the bottom was scrawled the
name "Ira Heath," and a date.
Nancy was about to hand the picture to George
when a detail of the man's clothing attracted her
attention. A watch chain which hung from Mr.
Heath's vest pocket had an unusual charm at-
tached to it!
"Look at this!" she said. "I saw the very same
charm at Sam Weatherby's curio shop. Daniel
Hector sold it to him along with some other
jewelry!"
"You're kidding!" Bess exclaimed.
"No. Hector told Mr. Weatherby the jewelry
was from his own family."
"That certainly sounds suspicious," George
said, reaching for another photograph. She held
up the picture of a sweet-faced woman, wearing a
long gown and upswept hair. An inscription
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 de-
clared.
There were more pictures in the box, but none
were of particular interest to the girls. Under-
neath the pile was a small leather-bound diary.
The flyleaf bore Walter Heath's name, and the
dates of many of the notations showed they had
been made less than a month before his death.
"This may be the most valuable thing in this
box!" Nancy remarked, skimming through the
book. Many of the pages were blank, but under
one date was an item important enough to read
aloud.
"I stumbled upon something which may prove
to be a treasure. In the salted pond there are
many marine mollusks placed there by my father.
They not only have beautiful shells, but their
glands give off a purple dye. I am mixing it with
certain chemicals and so far have produced six
shades of purple dye. But the color does not last.
I will keep trying for a perfect formula."
"I wonder it he did perfect it and what became
of the formula," Bess mused.
"Good question," said George.
Nancy turned more pages in the diary. "Here's
something," she said. "Listen to this:
" 'I don't trust the new chauffeur Biggs. Have
decided to hide all the bottles of dye until my ex-
periments are complete.' "
"Does it say where he hid them?" George asked.
"Read the next page."
"There's nothing more. This is the last para-
graph in the book."
"What a shame!"
"Maybe we'll find other clues when we read the
entire diary," Nancy said. "But there's no time
now."
"I'll say there isn't!" George agreed. "Sh! We'd
better duck out of here and fast!"
From just across the stone barrier came the
barking of a dog. Voices were audible, and each
moment they grew louder. The two men were
approaching!
"How about looking on the opposite side of
this wall?" one of them asked.
"Okay," the other man replied. "May as well
climb over and make a good job of it while we're
here."
Fearful of being seen, the girls tiptoed along
the cloister wall. Nancy carried the metal box,
which was heavy.
"We should have gone the other way, toward
the beach," she whispered. "I hope we don't get
trapped!"
As they rounded a curve the girls noticed that
the cloister ended abruptly in a rear wall of the
castle, with a huge wooden door. It was locked!
Nancy tried her key. It would not fit!
"Oh, what'll we do?" Bess asked. "This is
awfull!"
The men could be heard moving slowly up the
flagstone passageway. In a moment or two they
certainly would see the girls.
"Nancy, we'll have to hide the box!" George
said.
"We'd better hide ourselves," Bess urged.
"Maybe we could break through the vines,"
Nancy suggested.
"No chance," George decided. "There's a net-
work of thick stalks between the pillars. I touched
them before when we were searching tor the
treasure."
Not far from the castle wall was a large nook.
In their haste the girls had passed it with only a
fleeting glance. Now Nancy thought that it might
make a safe hiding place.
"Follow me!" she directed.
Above the arched entrance to the refuge had
been chiseled the words Poet's Nook, but the girls
scarcely noticed it as they slipped into the niche.
"I must hide this box so the men can't take it,
even if they catch us," Nancy declared grimly.
Frantically the girls looked about them. Nancy
noticed a loose stone in the wall directly above a
bench in the back of their hiding place.
"George," she said, "see if it will move."
Luckily the stone could be eased out. A large,
empty space was behind it. Nancy slipped the box
inside, and George quickly fitted the stone into
place.
By this time the men were very near, and had
stopped walking. "How about working in the
Poet's Nook?" one asked suddenly. "Maybe we'll
find something there."
The girls flattened themselves against the wall
and waited tensely, scarcely daring to breathe.
"We looked there once. That hiding place over
the bench was empty."
"Sure, but it we take out the whole wall, we
might find another one. You're lazy if you ask
me."
"Did I ask you?" the first man growled. "This
is hard work. We're not getting much money for
it either."
The other laughed. "What we found already
is good enough pay for me. And if we find the
other loot, we can live anyway we please."
Nancy and her friends surmised that the men
would not search the Poet's Nook again and re-
laxed slightly. But their hopes were dashed.
"How about it, Cobb?" the first man de-
manded. "Do we take out the wall or don't we?"
"Okay," the one addressed as Cobb replied.
"You go ahead. I'll be with you in a minute.
Here's the sledgehammer."

CHAPTER XIV

Cinderella's Slipper

Nancy, Bess, and George retreated deeper into
the shadows, but their hearts sank. The men were
sure to find them!
"I'll be right there, Biggs," Cobb called. "Just
want to see if there's anything hidden in any of
these other niches."
Biggs! The name electrified the girls. Hadn't
Walter Heath mentioned the name Biggs in the
diary as that of a suspicious person? Could he be
the chauffeur, searching, perhaps, for the bottles
of dye his former employer had hidden?
The next moment a tall figure appeared in the
entrance of the niche with a sledgehammer. His
back was turned to the girls as he called out:
"Hurry up! I'm not going to do the heavy work
alone!"
At that instant the sound of running footsteps
could be heard. Startled, the speaker moved off in
their direction.
Nancy tiptoed forward and peered out. Biggs
was the man who had signaled from the tower!
Then she saw a boy who was racing toward the
two men. Teddy Hooper!
"Hey, come quick!" he shouted. "I've got
something to show you!"
Cobb was irritated. "You again!" he exclaimed.
"We told you to keep away from here!"
"But I've got something to tell you!"
"What is it?"
"First you pay me," the boy replied.
"Get out of here and leave us alone!"
"Maybe we'd better hear what Teddy has to
say," Biggs urged. "It may be important."
"Gimme a dollar and I'll tell you," the boy de-
manded impudently.
"There!" Cobb snapped, handing over the
money. "Now talk!"
"You know where the hole is in the beach wall?
Somebody came through it."
"How do you know?"
"Footprints. Want to see 'em?"
"Okay." Cobb sounded concerned. "If anyone
is on these premises, we'd better find out about
it."
"Maybe the place is being watched! I'm clear-
ing out of here!" Biggs added.
"Don't be a fool!" Cobb replied. "If anyone
came into the gardens through this passageway,
he's got to go out the same way. All we have to do
is watch the hole and we'll catch him."
The two men followed Teddy around the
curve. When their voices died away, Nancy and
the girls stepped from their hiding place.
"The boy was Teddy Hooper," Nancy said
thoughtfully. "I wonder how he got mixed up
with these men."
"Never mind him now," Bess said anxiously.
"We must get out of here somehow, and fast!"
"As long as the men stay on the beach, we're
pretty safe," Nancy replied. "But I'm worried
about Salty. If only we had some way to warn
him!"
"But how can we?" Bess asked. "Those men
might pounce on us if we try to go."
"There's one possibility," George announced,
pointing to a stone stairway between two of the
columns which were intertwined with vines. "See
if there's a way out through these."
The girls managed to force two of the heavy
vines apart. Below them lay a small tangled gar-
den.
"We can squeeze through here," Bess said.
"Come on!"
"You go ahead," Nancy said. "I'll get the metal
box."
A few minutes later she wriggled between the
vines to join her friends. Eagerly they explored
the little garden. It had sheer walls on three sides,
too high to climb. They could not find a single
opening!
Bess sat down in the middle of a weed-grown
path. "I'm so discouraged I could cry," she ad-
mitted.
"Maybe a drink of water will revive you," her
cousin suggested practically.
On the rear wall of the garden hung an artistic
fountain from which spouted a little stream. Bess
walked over to it and drank freely. "It's wonder-
ful water," she said. "And cold. Must come from
a spring."
Nancy and George cupped their hands and
filled them several times. "It certainly tastes dif-
ferent from River Heights water," Nancy de-
clared. "And you're right, it's delicious."
She was about to drink more when she spotted
something on the crumbling wall just beneath
the fountain. Parting the vines to get a better
view, Nancy stared in astonishment.
"Girls, look! On the wall!" she exclaimed.
The vines had grown over a small block of
cement which had been set into the stones. In it
was the imprint of a woman's shoe. Beneath had
been chiseled a single word: Cinderella.
"Cinderella's dancing slipper." George laughed.
"Whoever would do such a crazy thing?"
"I'm not sure it was crazy," Nancy replied. "It's
rather romantic and may have been Walter
Heath's way of paying a compliment to Juliana.
Don't you recall that note I found in his hand-
writing which began 'Dear C'?"
"C could stand tor a dozen other names,"
George said.
Nancy measured the dainty little shoe print
with her hand. "But if it's Juliana's, it could be
the clue Walter Heath mentioned in his will! He
said she would be able to identify herself in a
special way, and this could be it, couldn't it?"
"The print is very small," Bess admitted. "Not
many girls wear such a tiny size."
"If we've really stumbled upon a secret, Nancy,
we mustn't breathe a word of it!" Bess warned.
The other girls agreed and carefully covered
the imprint with the vines.
"I wonder if there's anything of value hidden
behind the cement block," Nancy mused.
"We can't find out today," George said. "We'd
have to use tools to move it."
"It would be just our luck if Cobb and 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 loud creaking
noise from the cloister. "The rear castle door,"
whispered George.
Instantly they thought of the vines they had
torn apart to get into the garden. Whoever was
going in or out of the castle might notice the
opening and come to investigate!
"Quick!" Nancy directed. "Lie down here in
the tall grass and weeds!"
Bess and George flattened themselves on the
ground. Nancy darted behind a bush leafy enough
to hide her but not too thick to block her view.
A man, slightly stooped, came through the
parted vines. He paused to examine them.
Nancy's heart stood still. He was Daniel Hector!
The lawyer peered into the garden, but evi-
dently saw nothing unusual, because he went on
toward the beach.
"Let's go!" Nancy whispered jubilantly a mo-
ment later. "The cloister entrance to the castle
may have been left unlocked!"
The three girls stole noiselessly along and
eventually reached the castle. The door was in-
deed unlocked. It made such a loud noise when
Nancy pulled it that she feared the sound would
carry to the men.
"What a weird place!" George commented as
they hurried inside. Nancy led the way through
the long winding corridor toward the front hall.
"Let's get out of here as soon as we can," Bess
urged.
Nancy was fairly familiar with the floor plan
and found the main entrance. It was 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's warning,
George peeked outside, then stopped short. "Oh,
oh!"
"What's the matter?" Bess asked, following her.
Tied at the foot of the steps were the two huge
dogs the girls had met before. They began to
growl menacingly.
"Well, hello, old fellows, we meet again 1"
Nancy called cheerily.
But her friendly attitude did not work this
time. The animals would not allow the girls to
descend.
"You try it alone. Nancy," Bess suggested.
Nancy had no success. "The hounds are acting
very strangely," she whispered. "What can be
wrong? The other day they let me pass." She
shitted the metal box under her arm and the
animals growled even more fiercely.
"Why, maybe it's this box," she said. "The
dogs think I'm trying to steal something from the
castle!"
Telling her friends she would be right back,
Nancy ran inside. In a minute she had emptied
the box of photographs and the diary and stuffed
them under her sweater.
"Now where can I hide the box?" she thought.
Nancy caught sight of a narrow door, partially
open. "That'll do," she decided.
As she placed the metal container on the floor
of the closet, she heard footsteps not far away.
Someone was coming along the winding cor-
ridor!
She hurried outside. The dogs growled but
Nancy was determined to pass by them.
She ran down the steps, her friends behind her.
Bess was fearful, but tried not to show it.
The hounds bayed loudly and the next second
Mr. Hector's figure framed the doorway.
"Hey, you I" the lawyer shouted furiously.
"Stop! Stop!"
The girls ignored him. As Hector ran down the
steps to untie the dogs, he tripped over the long
rope and tell down on his face.
Nancy urged her friends to run faster while the
man bellowed in pain.
"Quick! To the wall!" she panted, holding the
treasure dose inside her sweater.

CHAPTER XV

Salty's Plight

The three girls raced madly to the front wall of
the estate. Clutching vines to pull themselves up,
they reached the top and scrambled over. Then
they paused for breath.
"What a narrow escape!" Nancy murmured.
"Daniel Hector saw me!"
"Did he recognize you?" Bess asked.
"We have never really been introduced and I
only turned around briefly when I first realized
he was there."
"What did you do with the metal box?" Bess
queried.
"I hid it. But not these." Nancy produced the
photographs and the diary from beneath her
sweater. "I still have the evidence!"
"Great!" George said. "But what's next?
We're a long way from the boat."
After catching their breath, the girls debated
what to do. They were worried about Salty and
what might have happened to him. To reach him
they would have to go far out of their way
through jungle growth next to the estate.
"And there's a chance," said George, "he's in
trouble and might not even be where we left
him."
"We'll have to return to town and rent a boat,"
Nancy concluded.
The trio walked as fast as they could and made
their way to the main highway. Bess pointed out
that public transportation was infrequent along
this route.
"Last time I was here I thought the bus would
never come," she said.
The girls waited impatiently for twenty min-
utes. They were almost in despair when Nancy
saw a familiar car headed in their direction.
"It's Lieutenant Masters!" she cried, holding
up her hand to signal the officer.
The young woman stopped. "Hop in," she in-
vited, and Nancy introduced her friends.
"Did you go to Heath Castle?" the officer asked.
"Yes," Nancy said. "We found several good
leads. In fact, we were following one this morn-
ing. Salty came with us."
"Salty?"
"He's the singing clam digger of Muskoka
River," Bess explained. "We left him on the
beach. He may be in the hands of the thieves by
now!"
Quickly Nancy explained the situation and
asked the officer if she could arrange to send out
a police boat to rescue Salty. "I'd like to go along
if they'll let me," Nancy added. "I'm worried and
feel responsible for him."
"We'll go too, if we may," put in George.
Lieutenant Masters radioed headquarters. In
a few minutes she had arranged for the girls to
accompany the rescue party. "But be careful," she
warned them. "Meanwhile, I'll tell the chief to
search for Biggs and Cobb."
On their way to the police dock. Lieutenant
Masters said that she had planned to stop at the
Drew home to discuss the problem of Joan Feni-
more and Teddy Hooper.
"I had hoped Joan wouldn't play with Teddy
any more," said Nancy.
"I'm inclined to think she may have tried not
to," the officer said slowly, "but-well, here's the
story. Teddy really causes me more worry than a
dozen other boys on my list. He hasn't been to
school for three days. It does no good to talk to
his mother. She always sides with Teddy. I'm con-
vinced she's unsuited to look after him."
"I'll say she is," George burst out, and told
Lieutenant Masters about her stolen clothes.
"We're sure he took them," she concluded.
Nancy said, "He's friendly with Biggs and
Cobb." She explained about Teddy and the two
men at the castle.
The lieutenant listened seriously. "I'm afraid
the boy may be a thief," she agreed. "This morn-
ing I caught him trying to sell a pearl at Weath-
erby's curio shop. When I asked him where he
had gotten it, he refused to answer me. Maybe he
was the one who snatched your purse, Nancy.
Anyway, when I took him home, his mother said
she knew nothing about the pearl. Teddy finally
said that Joan Fenimore had given it to him, but
she denied this."
"What a pity he's involved her," Nancy said.
"She's too nice a child."
A few minutes later Lieutenant Masters pulled
up to the dock, where two officers were waiting in
a motorboat.
The girls were introduced to Lieutenant Car-
ney, a stocky, muscular-looking man, and Officer
Mellon, who was tall and soft spoken.
The girls climbed aboard and the craft roared
off. In a short time they reached the Heath estate.
The rented motorboat was anchored in the same
spot but there was no sign of Salty and his row-
boat!
"He wouldn't have had time to row home,"
Bess said, worried. "And we didn't pass him on
the way."
Lieutenant Carney cast anchor and everyone
waded ashore. They started an intensive hunt.
Before long George spotted the sailor lying mo-
tionless near the entrance to the cloister. She
gasped. But suddenly 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, who had hurried
over. "You're hurt!"
Her cry brought Lieutenant Carney on the
run. Salty stood up and insisted he was all right,
though he was somewhat unsteady.
"What happened?" Nancy asked, and Lieu-
tenant Carney pulled out his notebook.
"I was diggin' for clams when a couple o'men
an' a boy seemed to come right out o' nowhere.
They asked me who I'd brought to the Heath
gardens."
"Did you tell them?" Bess asked.
"No, but they said they'd beat me up if I didn't
an' then go after the intruders themselves."
"I tried to argue 'em out o' it, but they was
stubborn as mules. When they started to go after
you, I tried to stop 'em."
"But there were three against you!" George
said.
"Ye're right. Fraid I got knocked out. But I
come to pretty soon; in fact, just in time to see
one o' the rascals takin' my boat."
Salty told how he had seen one man going
through the section of wall with the stone steps
beyond and decided to follow. But the sailor had
gone no farther than the opening before every-
thing went black again before his eyes.
"Later I come to," he said, "but I couldn't
seem to move for a while. Somewhere in the gar-
den I heard two men talkin'. Nancy, you must
be very careful from now on," he warned. "Those
guys are plannin' to kidnap you!"
Lieutenant Carney spoke up. "We'd better get
back to headquarters. Salty. You can 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 boat was skimming
down the river with Salty aboard. Nancy and her
friends took the rented craft back to Campbell's
Landing, then headed home in her car.
It was midaftemoon when Nancy reached her
house. She found Mr. Drew there, looking through
some old newspapers. He and Nancy ate a late
lunch while she eagerly showed him the photo-
graphs and the diary from the Heath estate.
"You certainly had an exciting time," her
father remarked. "But I have some interesting
news, too."
Nancy's eyes lighted with curiosity. "Something
that will help solve the mystery, Dad?"
Her father nodded. "It concerns Juliana's miss-
ing nurse."
"Emily Foster?"
"Yes. I've located her. And here's the best part.
Tomorrow morning she'll see you and tell you all
she knows!"

CHAPTER XVI

News of Juliana

"Oh, Dad! Where is Emily Foster?" Nancy asked,
thrilled by the news.'"How did you find her?
What did she say about Juliana?"
"One question at a time, please," Mr. Drew
said, laughing I talked to her only by telephone,
go I didn't get any details."
"Is she here in River Heights?"
"No. In Hampton. I traced her by contacting
the State Board of Nursing. Miss Foster is on a
case in Hampton. She'll be free tomorrow, and
has promised to 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. "Miss Foster may not know
what became of the dancer. Even if she's able to
provide a clue, you have only a short time to fol-
low it up."
"That's the trouble," Nancy agreed, worried.
"Only ten days are left before Heath Castle will
be lost to Juliana."
"Anyway, it seems to me you've built up a case
against Daniel Hector, and that's something," her
father said. "Even if Juliana is never found,
there's no reason why that unscrupulous lawyer
and his henchmen should help themselves to any
of the estate."
The Drews planned to leave for Hampton that
evening and spend the night at the motel in order
to be on time for their early-morning appoint-
ment. Nancy, knowing she had a dozen things to
do before leaving, rushed to do them.
Before they left, she suggested that they stop
at the Fenimores' to see if Joan and her mother
needed anything.
"I can't help worrying about them," she said.
Mr. Drew agreed. When they arrived at the
house, the little girl was asleep. Her mother, how-
ever, was up and in surprisingly good spirits.
"The Hoopers have moved!" she said. "Now
Joan and Teddy will be separated!"
"I wonder why they left so suddenly," Nancy
mused.
"It was strange," Mrs. Fenimore replied. "Mrs.
Hooper never talked about moving. A truck
drove up with Mr. Hooper and another man and
they loaded up all the furniture. Then Mrs.
Hooper and Teddy left in a taxi with their lug-
gage."

Mrs. Fenimore went on to say that Teddy had
been boasting to Joan lately.
"He said his father was a smart man-he knew
how to make money without working for it. Oh,
how the talk frightened me!"
"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 was startled by the
name.
"Yes."
Nancy did not show her excitement as she
recognized the name of the suspicious man she
had overheard in the cloister at Heath Castle! She
asked Mrs. Fenimore if she knew anything about
Teddy and his family.
"I never knew when that boy was telling the
truth," the woman replied. "But he told Joan he
knew where there was a hidden treasure."
Nancy's mind was whirling as pieces of evi-
dence seemed to fall into place. "Mrs. Fenimore,"
she asked, "did Joan ever talk to the Hoopers
about Juliana and the property she was to in-
herit?"
"Dear me, yes! The child told everybody."
"And Teddy repeated it to his parents?"
"I don't know. He told Joan he went to the
castle himself. But she was to keep it a secret."
"When did Teddy tell your daughter this?"
"Oh, some time ago."
There was nothing more of importance that
Mrs. Fenimore could remember. After learning
that the family was not in need of food or any-
thing else, Nancy and her father got up to leave.
Nancy remarked that they were on their way to
interview a woman who might have information
about Juliana.
"Oh, I hope she does!" Mrs. Fenimore said.
As soon as the Drews were in the car, Nancy
told her father of her suspicion regarding Cobb
Hooper.
"I thought Cobb was a last name," she com-
mented. "It never occurred to me that Biggs'
companion might be Teddy's father. The man I
overheard in the cloister didn't act very paternally
toward the boy."
"Maybe it's only a coincidence."
"Possibly. But Cobb is not a common name.
Shouldn't we talk to the police again?"
Mr. Drew glanced at his watch. "All right. But
we haven't much time if we're to get to Hampton
tonight."
At headquarters the sergeant on duty consulted
the files and informed the Drews that Cobb
Hooper had a prison record.
"Have you a mug shot of him?" Carson Drew
asked.
"Sure."
The photograph was brought out. With only
one glance Nancy knew that he was the same man
she had seen in the castle garden.
"Cobb Hooper was one of the men who was
hacking at the stone walls," she revealed. "He also
rammed me with his boat."
"I'll try to get a warrant for his arrest," the of-
ficer said.
Nancy and her father thanked him and left for
Hampton. They arrived at ten o'clock, and the
next morning waited in the motel lobby to meet
Emily Foster. She was fifteen minutes late.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it on time," she
said as she rushed in breathlessly. "You are Mr.
and Miss Drew, aren't you?"
As the two nodded she went on, "The nurse
who was to relieve me was late."
Nancy and her father liked Miss Foster at once.
She was in her early forties, brisk and efficient,
with a friendly smile.
After some polite conversation, she came right
to the point. "Mr. Drew, you said over the tele-
phone that you wanted to ask me about a former
patient of mine. I'll be glad to help you if I can."
"The information we are seeking concerns
Juliana Johnson," Mr. Drew began, "but I be-
lieve she gave the name Julia Flower at the hos-
pital. She was injured in a hit-and-run accident."
He showed Emily Foster Juliana's photograph.
"Yes, I knew her as Miss Flower," the nurse
said.
"Tell us about her," Mr. Drew urged. "What-
ever you can remember."
"Well, I had a hunch right away that Miss
Flower gave us an assumed name," Emily Foster
recalled. "For one thing, she never had any visi-
tors. No messages came for her, no letters. She
would not allow the authorities to notify anyone
of her accident. 'I don't want anyone to know,'
she would say. 'Not until I'm well.' "
"Did she believe she would recover?" Nancy
asked quickly.
"Only in the beginning. Then the doctor told
her the truth-that she'd be lame for the rest of
her life.'
'How did she take it?" Mr. Drew questioned.
"Very hard. Miss Flower cried for days, saying
the strangest things. One remark I recall was, 'His
little Cinderella will never dance for him again.'
Oh, it was heartbreaking to listen to her."
Cinderella!
Nancy was so sure she was on the right track
that her mind leaped from one possibility to an-
other. She nearly missed hearing her father's next
question.
"Where did Miss Flower go after she left the
hospital?"
"I don't know," Miss Foster admitted regret-
fully. "From her remarks, I surmised she in-
tended to live in some secluded place near Hope-
well."
"That name Flower," Nancy mused. "Juliana
was interested in gardening," she added, recalling
what Mrs. Fenimore had told her about the
dancer. "She would pick a place with flowers and
trees and vegetables, probably a farm."
"Miss Flower no doubt did," the nurse said.
"She was always asking me to buy her garden
magazines. Why, the day before her release, I re-
member she cut an advertisement from the local
paper-"
"What was it?" Nancy asked eagerly.
"The ad offered a small fruit and vegetable
farm for sale-a place known as Clover Farm."
"Where is it?"
"It seems to me there used to be a Clover Farm
at Milton about ten miles from here. I don't know
whether it's the same one, though."
Nancy turned to her father.
He sensed her thoughts and said, "Yes, we'll
go there today. It may be a futile trip, but we
must follow every lead."
"Oh, I hope it's the right place!" said Nancy.
"We must find Juliana soon. Time is getting
short!"

CHAPTER XVII

Kidnapped!

After the Drews had said good-by to Emily Fos-
ter, they drove toward Milton. At a service station
near the edge of town, they stopped and inquired
where Clover Farm was.
"Never heard of it," was the attendant's disap-
pointing reply. He also did not know of a Julia
Flower or Juliana or Julie Johnson. The local
telephone book had no listing for any of the
names.
"Oh, Dad," Nancy said, "have we run into an-
other dead end?"
She had never felt more frustrated. Her father
went into two shops to make the same inquiry,
but had no better luck. A distressing thought
came to Nancy that maybe the former dancer
had moved to another part of the country or was
no longer alive. Mr. Drew, trying to cheer his
daughter, suggested that the elusive woman might
be living in the area under another name.
At once Nancy took heart. "Let's drive all over
this place. Maybe we'll pick up a clue."
Silence followed as they rode up one road and
down another. About a mile out of town Nancy
suddenly exclaimed, "Look!"
On one side of the road was an attractive white
arched arbor at the entrance to the grounds.
Fields of flowers, shrubs, and a nursery of trees
lined either side. A neatly painted sign on the
arbor read:
                  Jardin des Fleurs
                  Juliette Fleur, Prop.
"I'm sure this is the place!" Nancy cried ex-
citedly. "Julia Flower translated her name into
French, and calls her place Garden of Flowers."
It was a quarter of a mile to the house, which
was surrounded by a high white picket fence with
a locked gate. A terrier with a staccato bark raced
from the building toward the callers.
"There's no bell or knocker," said Nancy.
"How does one get in?"
Her question was answered when two garden-
ers hurried from the rear of the enclosure.
"No visitors allowed here!" one of them said
curtly.
"We came to see Miss Fleur," Mr. Drew ex-
plained, then introduced himself and his daugh-
ter.
"Did she send for you?"
"No," Mr. Drew admitted, "but if she's the
person we're looking for, we have important in-
formation for her."
Nancy pulled out Juliana's photograph, 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 leaves the place on ac-
count of being such a cripple. But when that gov-
ernment man came 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 his name?"
"He probably told Miss Fleur. We didn't hear
it."
"Did she say why she had to go with him?"
Nancy asked.
"It was something about income tax. Miss
Fleur always thought she paid the government
every penny she owed. She's very honest. But the
man claimed she'd made a false report and might
have to go to prison."
"This seems very irregular to me," Mr. Drew
commented. "Even if Miss Fleur made a mistake
in the amount of her tax, she would not be sen-
tenced without a hearing. The usual procedure is
to notify the accused by letter and have the person
call at the tax office to explain his or her side of
the matter."
"Dad," Nancy said, "it looks as if someone was
very eager to get Miss Fleur away from here. We
must End her!"
"First of all, we'll check with the Internal Rev-
enue Service; that is, if I can use a telephone."
The two gardeners, sensing that Nancy and her
father were sincere, invited them into the farm-
house. Mr. Drew called. When he finished, he
looked grim.
"Just as we feared," he revealed. "The Internal
Revenue Service has no case pending against
Juliette Fleur, Juliana Johnson, or Julia Flower."
"Then it was a hoax!" Nancy exclaimed.
Yes. The man who came here was an im-
postor."
The gardeners suddenly looked alarmed. One
of them said, "Are you saying Miss Fleur maybe
was kidnapped?"
"Possibly," Mr. Drew replied.
The two workmen were speechless. "Oh, find
her!" one said. "We think an awful lot of her."
"Have you any idea where she may have been
taken?" Nancy asked. Both men said they had
told her everything they knew.
They spread the news of the incident to Miss
Fleur's other two employees 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. "Miss Fleur probably will
receive good treatment. But unfortunately she
will lose a fortune unless she can be found."
"But how? Shall we call the police?" the man
asked.
"We'll stop at headquarters on the way home,"
Mr. Drew said, and promised the gardeners he
would do everything he could to find Juliette
Fleur.
"Tell me, what did the alleged government
man look like?" he asked.
The gardeners' description was not very help-
ful.
"He was tall and slender," one said, "and wore
dark glasses. He had a beard and a mustache."
"Probably a disguise," Nancy concluded.
After the Drews had told their story to the local
police, they returned to the Hampton Motel. On
their way to the dining room, Carson Drew pur-
chased a copy of the River Heights newspaper.
A startling headline caught his eyes:
               FAMOUS DANCER RETURNS IN
              TIME TO CLAIM HEATH FORTUNE
The article stated that after a long search,
Daniel Hector had found the missing Juliana,
who now was staying at the Riverview Hotel in
River Heights. For many years the famous dancer
had been fulfilling professional engagements in
South America under another name.
"So that's what Hector has been up to!" Nancy
said hotly. "He had the real Juliana kidnapped
to be able to present this impostor!"
"It certainly seems that way," Mr. Drew agreed.
"If Daniel Hector can establish the impostor as
the heiress, he will probably pay her well and
then take over the estate."
"Let's hurry back to River Heights," Nancy
suggested.
After hastening through lunch she and her
father checked out of the motel, and soon were
driving along the road toward home.
"I wonder where the abductor has hidden
Juliana," Nancy said.
It was early afternoon when the Drews reached
River Heights. The lawyer said he had to stop
in his office for a couple of hours and that Nancy
could use the car in the meantime.
"I think I'll go see Mrs. Fenimore and find out
whether she has heard the news," Nancy decided
as she got out of the car. She drove off and turned
in the direction of the little house.
Joan and her mother were happy to see her.
They had not read the newspapers, however, and
had not heard from Daniel Hector. When Nancy
told them about the article, Mrs. Fenimore be-
came excited.
"You mean my sister has really been found?
Oh, I just can't believe it! Where is she?"
"Mrs. Fenimore," Nancy said, "I don't want to
disappoint you, but I believe that the woman
Hector claims to have located is an impostor!"
"What do you mean?" Mrs. Fenimore looked
bewildered.
Nancy told about the result of her investiga-
tion and of her suspicion that the real Juliana had
been kidnapped.
"But that's terrible," Mrs. Fenimore finally
said. "It's an unscrupulous scheme to cheat my
sister out of her inheritance, and who knows, she
might 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. Unless we find your sister
in time. Hector may get away with his crooked
scheme."
"But I can tell if the claimant is my sister,
can't I?"
"I don't know whether your word against hers
would be proof enough. Anyway, I think we
should meet the dancer who claims to be Juliana."
Joan insisted upon coming along, and soon the
three of them arrived at the Rivervicw Hotel.
"You mean Senora Fernandez?" the desk clerk
replied when Nancy inquired for the woman.
"I'll see if she's receiving callers."
Mrs. Fenimore became more and more appre-
hensive as they waited. Finally the clerk told them
to go up to Room 320. They knocked and a voice
said, "Come in!"
A beautiful woman was reclining on the bed,
her back braced by several embroidered pillows.
She wore an exotic negligee which set off to ad-
vantage her dark hair and creamy white skin.
"Vera! I am so glad to see you again!" she said
and got up to embrace Mrs. Fenimore. "And this
is Joan, isn't it?" She kissed the little girl lightly
on the cheek.
Mrs. Fenimore was so confused that for a mo-
ment she could not speak. Nancy broke the silence
by giving her name.
"Miss Drew?" the dancer looked perplexed but
only for an instant. "Yes, I believe Mr. Hector
told me about you."
By now Mrs. Fenimore had relaxed. "Julie,
why did you go away?"
"I-I eloped with my Mexican husband."
"But how could you desert Walter Heath?"
"I couldn't marry him, because I didn't love
him. But I didn't want to hurt him either; that's
why I disappeared."
"But now you've come back to claim his for-
tune," Nancy put in. "By the way, what are your
plans for the estate?"
"I'll sell it. Mr. Hector has a buyer for it al-
ready."
"Then you won't stay in River Heights?" Mrs.
Fenimore asked.
"Of course not. I have my career and my home
in Mexico."
Mrs. Fenimore looked at the woman calmly.
"Mr. Hector won't be able to sell the estate for
you because you are not my sister 1"
The other woman blanched. "I may have
changed in those ten years, but I can prove who
I am!"
"How?" Nancy asked quickly.
"I have all necessary identification. And I also
have this!" From beneath her pillow the dancer
brought out a torn paper. Nancy instantly knew
that it was the missing half of the note she had
found at the Heath factory. She read the words:

                day the sec-
                am hiding
               may make me
              Then I shall be
           of you. Love,
                        Walt

Nancy did not have the other half of the note
with her, but she knew its contents by heart. The
complete message would read:

              Dear C,
                    Someday the sec-
              cret which I am hiding
              in a wall may make me
              famous. Then I shall be
              worthy of you. Love,
                                  Walt

The young sleuth concluded that Walter Heath
had not sold the formula on which he had been
working. Instead, he had hidden the dyes some-
where in the old estate walls to keep them safe
from men like Biggs.
"Do you have the other half of the note?"
Nancy asked Senora Fernandez.
"No, I lost it years ago."
"What does the C stand for?"
"Oh-Walt used to call me Carita. It was a
nickname he gave me when we first met."
"You are not my sister!" Mrs. Fenimore cried
out again. She could hardly control her anger.
"And this note proves nothing!"
Nancy took her arm. "Let's go now. And don't
worry," she said as the three left.
Back on the street, Nancy said, "Daniel Hector
did a good job. Senora Fernandez does resemble
your sister, doesn't she?"
Mrs. Fenimore nodded. "So much so that at
first I wasn't sure myself."
"I noticed the woman had rather large feet,"
Nancy said. "She must wear at least a size nine or
ten shoe."
"And Juliana had extremely small feet," Mrs.
Fenimore remarked. "That should help prove
Mrs. Fernandez is a phony."
"Yes. Please don't worry about it. Right now
all I'm concerned about is finding your sister!"
Nancy dropped the Fenimores off at their house
154     THE CLUE IN THE CRUMBUNG WALL
and drove home. On the way she passed Bess's
house and noticed that George's car stood in
front.
"I'll stop to tell them the latest news about the
case," Nancy decided.
Bess invited both girls to stay to dinner. Nancy
accepted after calling Hannah Gruen.
"Your father won't be back until late, any-
way," the housekeeper said.
By the time Nancy arrived home, it was dark.
As she pulled into the driveway, the young detec-
tive noticed that there were no lights on in the
house.
"That's funny," she thought, stopping. "When-
ever Hannah goes out, she leaves a lamp on."
Nancy hurried to the front door. With a surge
of alarm she found it standing slightly ajar. Cau-
tiously she pushed it open but saw only the dark
hallway.
"Hannah!" she called out, reaching for the hall
switch.
Before she could turn on the lights, a powerful
arm seized her and a hand was clapped over her
mouth. At the same time the assailant yanked
her into the hall and slammed the door shut!

CHAPTER XVIII

Tower Trouble

The man held Nancy in an iron grip, and though
she struggled, she could not break away. Did she
know him? He kept in back of her, so she could
not see his face.
Frightening questions raced through her mind:
Where was Hannah? Had the housekeeper been
harmed!
"We're going to take you for a little ride now,"
her captor said in a whisper. "You're through
meddling at Heath Castle!"
"Will you shut up!" a harsh voice put in. The
second man tied a scarf over her eyes. "Let's get
her out of here before her father comes home."
Suddenly Nancy had an idea of how to throw
the men off guard. With a moan she slumped into
her captor's arms and dropped her purse.
He exclaimed angrily, "She's fainted!"
"So what?" snapped the other. "We follow the
orders. I'll get the car and bring it up the drive-
way. You carry her out when I signal."
Her body limp, but her senses sharply alert,
Nancy waited for her chance to escape. When the
other man left, her captor released his grasp. In-
stead of crumpling to the floor, Nancy pulled off
the scarf and dashed up the stairs to her father's
room.
The man gave a startled cry and ran after her.
But Nancy locked the door before he reached it.
"I'm calling the police!" she shouted, and raced
to the telephone.
For a few moments the intruder pounded on
the door wildly, and banged himself against it,
then suddenly stopped. Nancy had just finished
dialing when she heard him run downstairs and
slam the front door.
Quickly she reported the incident to head-
quarters, then went to look out the window. She
saw the intruder round the end of the drive and
flee into the darkness. Despite the thumping of
her heart, she smiled grimly.
As Nancy hurried through the house she
switched on the lights and called Hannah's name.
She found the housekeeper gagged and tied to a
chair in the kitchen.
"Are you all right?" Nancy asked anxiously as
she released the woman.
"I'm not hurt," Hannah said hoarsely. "But
the nerve of those two!" She added angrily, "I was
expecting you or your father, and when the bell
rang I thought one of you had forgotten your key.
I didn't look out, just opened the door. Those
men pushed right in, turned off the lights, and
tied me up in my own kitchen!"
A few minutes later two officers arrived. Han-
nah described one intruder as tall and thin, the
other as short, stocky, and powerfully built. Both
were masked. Nancy suspected they were Cobb
and Biggs.
"They must have been watching for me," she
said, "because they apparently knew my father
was out. Also, they were careful to park some
distance away, so I wouldn't see a strange car in
front of the house."
Before leaving, one of the policemen called
headquarters and arranged for a plainclothesman
to keep an eye on the Drew house that night in
case the suspects made another attempt to kidnap
Nancy.
Mr. Drew arrived home half an hour later. He
listened, deeply concerned, as his daughter and
the housekeeper told what had happened.
"You're a brave and clever girl," he said to
Nancy, "but from now on you must be extra
careful. Obviously these men are desperate to get
you off this case."
"Someone is giving them orders," she said. "I
have a hunch it's Daniel Hector."
That night Nancy lay awake long after the
others in the house were asleep. "The kidnappers
wanted to keep me from going to Heath Castle,"
she reasoned. "Surely not because of anything
I've seen there already. It must be because of
something else hidden in the place."
An amazing idea struck her. Nancy could
hardly wait to call Bess and George. Early the
next morning she phoned them.
"What time is it?" Bess asked sleepily. Finally
she became awake enough to say yes to Nancy's
request that the three girls go out to the Heath
estate.
"Okay," Bess said, "but let's play it safe. I don't
want to be scared to death again."
George was eager for the adventure. She put a
flashlight and police whistle into her pants pocket.
All three girls left notes at their homes since the
families were not yet up. Nancy added to hers,
"Please phone Lieutenant Masters where I am.
I want to follow up a hunch connected with the
mystery out there."
When Nancy picked up the cousins in her car,
they demanded a full explanation of the day's
mission.
"It's my opinion that Daniel Hector or one of
his men kidnapped the real Juliana," Nancy said.
"He'll hold her until Senora Fernandez can estab-
lish her claim to the fortune. He'll take the lion's
share of it and then disappear."
"But what does Heath Castle have to do with
it?" Bess asked. "Do you think Juliana is im-
prisoned there?"
"Yes, I do. Mr. Hector found out recently that
I was hot on the trail of the real Juliana and he
had to get her out of the way. What better hiding
place for his prisoner 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 ad-
mitted. "The crippled woman could have been
brought to the place the night she left Jardin des
Fleurs."
At the estate Nancy and her friends scaled the
wall and dropped to the ground. As the three
made their way toward the castle, they did not
see nor hear the dogs.
"What worries me," said Nancy, "is whether
we can get in. Of course, I have a key to the front
door, but it may have been padlocked."
When they reached it the girls were amazed to
find the door ajar.
"Hector may be here," Bess whispered wor-
riedly. "Or perhaps Cobb and Biggs."
There was not a sound of anyone stirring about
the premises. Noiselessly, Nancy and the girls
slipped inside the castle.
"I have a hunch," Nancy whispered, "that Juli-
ana is imprisoned in the tower, not in this build-
ing. Let's look there first."
The girls tiptoed along the winding corridor to
the courtyard garden where the entrances to the
towers were. Nancy tried the door of the one in
which she had been imprisoned. It was unlocked.
"Will you two please stand guard while I go
upstairs?" she asked her friends.
They nodded, and Nancy ascended the circular
iron staircase. She was gone several minutes. Bess
was becoming uneasy about her friend when she
heard Nancy returning.
"No one there," the young detective reported.
"I looked out over the grounds, too, but didn't
see anything suspicious."
"Where next?" George asked.
"Here's a trap door," Nancy replied, pointing
toward the floor. "What it opens into I haven't
been able to find out. But some tools that weren't
here before are in that corner now. I believe
someone left them to lift the trap door."
Carefully Nancy inserted a finely edged tool in
the crack, then slipped a thin chisel through the
space and depressed a catch. Using a crowbar, the
girls raised the heavy metal door.
Cautiously they peered into the darkness be-
low. Nancy and George snapped on their flash-
lights. They revealed a flight of iron steps leading
into a long corridor. Grilled doors opened from
it.
"Anyone down there?" Nancy called.
No answer. Her own voice echoed weirdly. Just
then Nancy thought she heard a sound like a
moan. She hurried down the stairway, followed
by Bess and George. Several cells lined one wall.
Nancy flashed her light into the first cell. It
was a tiny room, musty and dark. The only visible
sunlight filtered in through a high, barred win-
dow.
"These rooms look like old dungeons," Bess
commented with a little shiver.
"Probably the Heaths used them for storing
food and other things," George said.
The next two cells were empty. But as the girls
approached the fourth, they distinctly heard some-
one moan. Pausing to listen, they caught a pitiful
cry from the far end of the corridor.
"Let me out! Let me out! Please help me!"
Nancy, Bess, and George hurried up the pas-
sageway. A small woman, crippled and weak, had
pulled herself to the 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 shrank back. "I am
Miss Fleur."
"We'll talk about that later," Nancy told her
kindly, and unbolted the door.
She and Bess assisted the woman along the
musty corridor, while George beamed the flash-
lights. It was slow work because of Juliana's weak
condition.
Nancy introduced herself and the girls. "We've
come to help you," she added. "Who brought
you here?"
"Have you been mistreated?" Bess put in.
"I've had enough to eat and drink," the former
dancer said. "But I've been so perplexed."
Questioned by Nancy, she revealed what had
happened to her. A man, who had shown an
identification card of a government agent, had
taken her away from Jardin des Fleurs in a car.
"It was dark when we reached this place. I was
hurried inside and locked in the cell. I was told
it was because of not paying enough income tax,"
she ended the story. "What does it all mean?"
"That's not true," Nancy replied. "My father
inquired. A great deal has happened since you left
your home ten years ago," she added.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"You are Juliana Johnson," Nancy said with
quiet conviction. "Why not admit it?"
"No, no, never!"
"Do you realize where you are now?" Nancy
asked, taking a different tack. "You are at Heath
Castle."
"Heath Castle! You mean-Walt-?"
"Walter Heath died a number of years ago,"
Nancy said gently. "He loved you to the end and
willed all his property to you."
"Walt-dead!" the woman whispered. "Then
he thought of me as I used to be-beautiful, and
a talented dancer."
"He loved you for yourself," Bess spoke up.
"Not for your fame."
Juliana brushed a wisp of straggling gray hair
from her eyes. Her slumping shoulders stiffened.
"But I've lost all my beauty!" »he cried out.
"Oh, I want to be left alone. I have my farm.
Take me back there, please!"
"You mean you don't want Heath Castle?"
George asked.
"I loved Heath Castle, and I loved Walt,"
Juliana said brokenly, "But I hid myself away so
that he never would see me in this condition. Per-
haps this is foolish pride, but it seems best that I
finish out my days as I am doing."
"Your sister Vera wants to be with you very
much," said Nancy. "She is a widow now with a
little girl who looks a great deal like you."
Juliana was deeply moved. "Vera has a daugh-
ter?" she murmured. "Where is she?"
"The child's name is Joan. She and her mother,
now Mrs. Fenimore, live in River Heights. Joan
likes flowers and gardening, just as you do. I can't
tell you the whole story now, but the two of then?
need you."
"If I had known before-" Juliana began. "At
the beginning of my retirement I sent a letter to
my sister but it came back. I had no idea where
the was."
"Mrs. Fenimore and Joan want to leave the
neighborhood where they live," Nancy put in.
"Joan would be so happy in these surroundings."
"Are the gardens still beautiful?" the former
dancer asked dreamily.
Nancy hated to tell the woman the truth. She
tried to soften it by saying, "They have been
badly neglected. But they could be landscaped
again. However, only a person who truly loved
the place would want to do it."
"To me it would be a challenge," Juliana said
with sudden spirit. "A memorial to Walt. But
the castle and its grounds really are pretty large
for three people."
"What a wonderful place it would be for hand-
icapped children!" Bess mused.
"And I'd like to help them!" Juliana an-
nounced. "Yes, I'll make this place a beautiful
spot again! I'll bring Joan and Vera here. And
later we'll see about the other children."
"Good!" Nancy said. "We'll take you right to
your sister, and then I'll go to settle my score
with Mr. Hector."
The group had finally reached the foot of the
stairway. Before the former dancer could be
helped up the steps, a sardonic laugh echoed
down to them.
"I'll make sure you don't get out!" a voice
threatened.
The next instant the trap door dropped into
place with a crash. A heavy object was placed on
top of it. Then all was quiet in the dungeon!

CHAPTER XIX

Release and Capture

Nancy darted up the stairway to try opening the
trap door. As she had feared, it did not budge.
George and Bess pushed with all their might.
"It's hopeless," said Bess, panting.
"We're all prisoners!" Juliana Johnson ex-
claimed.
Nancy was fearful this new shock might under-
mine Juliana's health completely, so she said, "I
feel sure there's no cause for alarm. When we fail
to show up, help will come. I left a note at home."
"But will the trap door be noticed by 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 could find no exit. The only openings
were the high grilled windows.
"Nancy," George said suddenly, "I brought a
police whistle. Suppose I blow it."
"Great!" said Nancy. "If you stand on my
shoulders, you should be able to reach one of the
windows and signal for help."
George and Nancy stepped into the nearest cell
and went to the window. With agility George
climbed to Nancy's shoulders and clung to the
iron grills of the window. She blew a dozen shrill
blasts with her whistle.
"I hope it'll work," she said, after dropping
lightly to the floor.
She and Nancy wondered how long they might
have to wait and how long Juliana could stand
the added strain. They returned to the others
and sat down on the steps.
Juliana had lapsed into silence, but Nancy
gradually drew her out. One of the first questions
Nancy asked was whether or not Walter Heath
had given her a large pearl.
"No, but he was going to. It was being made
into a ring when I went away."
Nancy next inquired if Juliana's fiance had had
a special name for her.
"Yes. He called me his little Cinderella," she
said, smiling at the recollection. "Once Walt
asked me to put on one of my dancing slippers
and make a print in a block of newly made ce-
ment. He said he was going to set it in the garden
wall opposite Poet's Nook. I suppose it was a
lover's foolish idea."
"That wasn't foolish," Nancy replied. "It was
very sensible. That footprint clue in the crum-
bling wall will prove your right to the Heath
fortune against any claim of an impostor!"
Juliana said, "Please tell me the whole story.
I am terribly confused." As kindly as she could,
Nancy related all she knew.
"How dreadful!" Juliana exclaimed. "And
what harrowing experiences you have had!"
"Tell me something," said Nancy. "It was re-
ported that the hospital found a lot of money on
you. Did you plan to stay away a long time?"
"Oh no. I was going to buy an expensive per-
sonal gift for Walt from a man who wanted cash.
Also I planned to purchase something for our
home." The former dancer sighed deeply.
Suddenly the woman slumped forward. In an
instant Nancy caught her and placed the limp
body on the floor.
"Juliana has fainted!" Bess cried out.
Nancy was fearful that the woman was suffering
from something more serious than a faint, because
the former dancer's pulse was very weak. Under
the flashlight her face looked chalk-white.
"The poor woman!" Bess murmured. "She has
been through so much!"
The girls tried to revive Juliana, and finally
succeeded.
"We must get out of here!" said Nancy.
At that moment they heard distant shouts out-
side.
"Listen!" George commanded.
The voices were coming closer. George blew
several loud blasts on her whistle.
"Where are you?" somebody called. "We're the
police. There are four of us."
Nancy shouted that they were below the trap
door in the tower. She called out directions and
in another five minutes the four prisoners were re-
leased.
"Lieutenant Masters!" exclaimed Nancy.
"How glad I am to see you! Did my father get in
touch with you?"
"No. Hannah Gruen did. And who is this?"
she asked, smiling at the former dancer.
Juliana herself replied to the question. When
Nancy suggested that she ought not to expend her
strength talking, the woman insisted she felt much
better.
"Who shut you in here?" the policewoman de-
manded.
"I'm not sure," Nancy answered. "The voice
was disguised, I think. But it might have been
Daniel Hector. He must have escaped."
"Oh, no, he didn't," said a voice triumphantly.
"We nabbed him climbing over a wall. Also these
two birds."
Two more policemen appeared. With them,
handcuffed, were Cobb and Biggs. Behind the
men was Daniel Hector.
"This is an outrage!" the lawyer snapped. "You
can't arrest me. I have a perfect right to be on
this property. The others are trespassing."
Coolly Nancy presented her evidence against
the lawyer. She accused him of stealing jewelry
from the estate, a claim that could be proved by
photographs found in Walter Heath's box.
"And that's not the worst," she said to him.
"You pretended to look for the woman who was
to inherit the estate. But when you did locate her
you kept it a secret so you could help yourself to
the estate. When you found out I was on the trail
of the real Juliana Johnson, you had her kid-
napped and locked in the dungeon here! To pro-
tect yourself, you produced an impostor with
whom you had made a bargain."
"Ridiculous!" Hector cried furiously. "Lies-
lies! Nothing but lies!"
Hector had not seen Juliana yet. She was seated
on the winding stairs in the tower behind Nancy.
The young sleuth now stepped aside. Hector
stared at the crippled dancer.
"So what?" he demanded after a moment. "I
had nothing to do with bringing her here! And
she can't prove she's the missing dancer. Just look
at her!"
"Oh, yes, I can prove it," Juliana retorted with
spirit. "The imprint of my dancing shoe is em-
bedded in a wall at Heath Castle. Furthermore, I
still have the slipper that made the imprint!"
"What's that got to do with it? The real Juliana
is at the Riverview Hotel!" the lawyer blustered.
"She has a note to prove 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 the explosion."
The three men hung their heads guiltily, ad-
mitting they had been there. Biggs added,
"Hooper here found the note in a desk Hector
sold. He tore it in two pieces, expecting the law-
yer to put up more money for the second half.
When one piece was lost, we thought Hector had
found it."
In answer to Nancy's question if he were Ted-
dy's father, the man nodded sullenly.
Nancy explained to Juliana that Teddy had
learned about the estate from Joan. Teddy had
told his father that Juliana was missing. Cobb and
Biggs got together. Biggs suspected his former em-
ployer had hidden some valuable things in the
estate walls and the two men convinced Hector he
ought to hire them to look for the treasure. When
they found a few items, the men kept them.
"You guessed right, but I can't figure out how,"
said Biggs.
"I know nothing about all this!" shouted the
lawyer.
"Yes, you do," Cobb Hooper said bitterly.
"You were behind the whole thing. You brought
the dogs to guard the estate, but later I kept 'em
tied up and then took 'em back to the kennel."
"We were afraid of them ourselves," Biggs
added.
"Mr. Hector," said Lieutenant Masters, "it
looks as if the case against you is pretty serious."
"I tell you I never saw these men before," the
lawyer insisted. "Nor that crippled woman,
either. Now all of you get out of here!"
For a long second there was silence. Then Juli-
ana slowly got to her feet. Her eyes ablaze, she
pointed a finger at Hector and exclaimed:
"Arrest that man! Arrest him for kidnapping!"
The wily lawyer's jaw dropped. Then he re-
covered. "The woman is crazy!" he shouted.
"The night you came to my farm and brought
me here you wore a disguise," Juliana said ac-
cusingly. "At first I didn't recognize you. But
your voice-I know your voice." Her eyes
snapped with anger as she added, "I will bring
charges against you to the fullest extent of the law
for Walter Heath's sake!"
Daniel Hector knew he was beaten. But he
would not give up yet. He glared at Nancy and
cried out:
"If you had minded your own business, there
wouldn't have been all this trouble! But don't
be so smug. You think there are treasures and
money for Juliana. You're wrong. There's noth-
ing in the estate but debts. She has inherited a
wreck!"

CHAPTER XX

A Last Surprise

"Nothing in the estate!" Nancy exclaimed.
"What do you mean?"
The angry lawyer refused to reply. He and the
other prisoners were led away by the police.
Nancy,-Miss Masters, and Juliana headed for the
Fenimore home. When they arrived, Juliana
asked Nancy to go in first and 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 we never have Heath Castle.
To think Juliana is alive, and we can be together
again!"
Gently Nancy warned her about Juliana's con-
dition. The news was a shock, but Mrs. Fenimore
took it bravely as Juliana was brought in. The
sisters embraced and both cried a little. Then
over and over the joyful women expressed their
gratitude to Nancy.
The young sleuth said she was glad to have ac-
complished what she had, but was not satisfied to
leave the case yet. For days afterward she was
tormented by all the distressing angles of the af-
fair.
In the meantime, Juliana had claimed her in-
heritance and had requested that all legal matters
be attended to by Mr. Drew. The lawyer had lost
no time in having Hector and the other men
prosecuted, and also brought charges against the
woman who had impersonated the dancer.
"Hooper and Biggs admit having found several
bottles of dye and a formula marked, 'Perfected
Formula,' hidden in the cloister walls," Mr. Drew
told Nancy. "They've surrendered them and I've
had an analysis made. The dye has dried up but
a newly made liquid would be of great value
commercially if produced under the same condi-
tions that Walter Heath used."
"What were they?" Nancy asked.
"Sea salt was mixed with the spring water in
the pond. Marine whelks, which are a huge type
of mollusk, were imported and put into it. They
exude a beautiful purple dye. After Heath's death
the whelks vanished."
Nancy was thoughtful. "It would take a good
bit of money to start up that business, wouldn't
it?"
"Yes," her father replied. "But it would be
profitable for Juliana. The special shade of pur-
ple is difficult to imitate synthetically."
Nancy had been hoping that Hector's dire
statement regarding the estate would not be true,
but part of it was. Mr. Drew had learned that the
total Heath assets were twenty dollars, the walled
grounds, and a ruined castle with a few pieces of
furniture. The debts, however, were illegal loans,
which Hector had made against the estate and
which he would have to pay back.
Account books had been falsified to show that
huge sums had been paid to various detective
agencies, supposedly for the purpose of conduct-
ing a search for the missing Juliana. But the wily
lawyer had kept the money.
"Unfortunately we can't recover it," Mr. Drew
remarked to his daughter. "Hector has spent it all
and has little of his own 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 of value hidden. After
all, Walter Heath told Sam Weatherby there was
another treasure."
"I've had the place searched, Nancy. Workmen
even removed the imprinted block of cement be-
low the wall fountain, but there was nothing be-
hind it. Heath Castle will have to be sold.
"But I'm afraid," he went on, "the sale price
won't be much, considering its present condition.
Juliana wants to keep the property, but she can't,
She has barely enough funds to operate Jardin
des Fleurs."
It was some consolation to Nancy that she had
brought the sisters together, but she felt as if she
had failed in one of the most vital tasks of her life.
"Even if I did find Juliana, I wasn't able to
save the estate or help the Fenimores financially.
And they need money so badly."
Unwilling to give up. Nancy drove out to the
estate one day after lunch to try to find the treas-
ure which Walter Heath had mentioned.
"What can it be and where?" she asked herself.
"It's supposed to be in plain sight."
Nancy worked her way doggedly through the
neglected grounds and examined the statuary.
Though not an expert, she could tell that none of
it was unusual. She looked at a grove of fruit trees
which might become a source of profit. But the
trees were too old.
Finally the young detective, hot, thirsty, and
discouraged, arrived at the little garden off the
cloister. As Nancy walked toward the fountain,
she suddenly stopped short and stared at the
sparkling stream of water.
"That's it!" she exclaimed softly. "Spring
water! Cold, clear, delicious, and probably pure.
It might even have minerals in it!"
Nancy could visualize the estate as a health
resort where people came to rest and drink the
water.
"Or it could be bottled and sold!" the thought.
Excited by the idea. Nancy quenched her
thirst, then hurried home to telephone her father.
He promised to have the spring tested in the
morning.
The next afternoon the Drews were delighted
to learn that the water was pure and rich in
minerals. A further search of the grounds revealed
several more beneficial springs.
"The supply is plentiful," Nancy told Bess and
George. "Dad will probably make arrangements
with a bottling company to market it."
In the meantime Nancy had remembered the
beautiful shells she had found in the pond. Saying
nothing to Juliana, she sent one of them to a
company in New York which specialized in mak-
ing fine mother-of-pearl jewelry. The answer
came back promptly: the firm would buy at a
good price all similar shells.
"Nancy, you're wonderful!" exclaimed Juliana
when Nancy telephoned her about it.
The bottling company also offered financial
backing to convert part of the castle and grounds
into a health resort.
"That's wonderful!" Juliana cried out. "Now I
can afford to turn a section of the castle and
grounds into a free vacation spot for handicapped
children, and, of course, my sister and Joan and I
will occupy some of the rooms.
"You've certainly changed our lives. Nancy,"
she added gratefully. "And now the Heath prop-
erty will become beautiful again!"
A year later, upon invitation, Nancy, Bess,
George, Mr. Drew, and Lieutenant Masters jour-
neyed to the estate to view the many changes. The
great gate stood open. The visitors drove up a
winding road between avenues of trimmed hedge
and trees. The three girls smiled when they re-
called how different everything had seemed to
them on their former trips there.
"It doesn't make me feel a bit creepy now,"
Bess remarked.
"Those penetrating eyes that spied on us from
behind the evergreen," Nancy said, "were
Hooper's or Biggs'."
"With Cobb Hooper in jail, what has become
of Mrs. Hooper and Teddy?" asked George.
"She's working," the policewoman replied.
"Teddy has been sent to a special school, where
he's doing very well."
The visitors got out of the car near the restored
loggia and paused to admire the repairs to the
crumbling walls. The gardens were a mass of
bloom. The lawn in front of the castle was velvety
smooth with no weeds.
"How did Juliana ever accomplish so much in
such a short time?" George asked.
Nancy replied, "She imported her gardeners
from Jardin des Fleurs."
Bess called the girls' attention to the children
who had come out on the lawn to play. A few
were in wheelchairs, but they pushed themselves
about with amazing skill.
"Juliana is doing remarkable work with these
youngsters," said Lieutenant Masters. "She's put-
ting new spirit into them. Joan is developing into
a fine little girl, too. She's proving to be a great
help to her aunt."
"What is she doing?" Bess asked.
"Juliana, with the help of a therapist, teaches
exercises to the children to restore nimbleness
to their bodies. Joan does the demonstrating. And
incidentally, Joan is the delight of her aunt. She's
going to be a wonderful dancer someday."
"And carry on from where Juliana left off,"
Bess said dreamily.
The callers were greeted cordially by the mis-
tress of Heath Castle and her sister, Mrs. Feni-
more, now restored to health and looking very
attractive with a fashionable new hairdo. Both
women thanked Bess and George tor their excel-
lent assistance to Nancy in solving the mystery.
Joan hugged Nancy and the others happily.
"Oh, come see my garden," she exclaimed, and
showed them a small plot of beautifully tended
flowers in front of the castle.
Tea was served on the terrace. Afterward, Juli-
ana led her guests to the little garden where
Nancy had discovered the spring. Children were
playing on the shady walks.
"The water is helping to build strong bodies,"
Juliana said proudly. "Oh, it means so much to
me to bring these boys and girls here! I'd never
have forgiven myself if I had returned to a lonely
life at Jardin des Fleurs. By the way, I sold it at a
nice profit."
Mr. Drew had been waiting for this very mo-
ment. He took a tiny box from his pocket and
slipped it into Juliana's hand.
"A little surprise," he explained, smiling.
The woman slowly raised the lid. Nestled in
purple velvet was a ring set with a huge pearl.
"Not the one Walt meant for me?" Juliana
asked, dazed.
"Yes."
"But how did you recover it? I thought Mr.
Hector had found the ring and sold it."
"He had, but Dad was able to trace it," Nancy
spoke up. "Mr. Hector failed to notice the in-
scription inside."
Tears filled Juliana's eyes as she read, '"To
my Cinderella.' I'll wear the ring always in mem-
ory of Walt," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"Oh, Nancy, my dear friend-and Mr. Drew, and
Bess and George, and Lieutenant Masters, also my
dear friends-you've made me very, very happy."
The young detective smiled, glad that every-
thing had worked out so successfully. Her gaze
wandered along the stately cloister of Heath Cas-
tle. With the afternoon sun sinking low, the
shadowy passageway had never looked more beau-
tiful.
It was peaceful and quiet, and nothing was fur-
ther from Nancy's thoughts than a new mystery.
Yet in a short time she would be working on an-
other exciting case called, Mystery of the Tolling
Bell.
"Don't thank me for helping you, Juliana," she
said earnestly, taking the woman's hand. "Thank
the crumbling walls. They contained the clues
that brought you here. To me Heath Castle will
always remain a symbol of mystery and romance."