Satisfied that her father was his former self once more, Nancy joined her friends for a late-morning swim. The young people enjoyed an hour in White Cap Bay, then went back to the house to change clothes.
Mr. Drew was sipping a lemonade, deeply engrossed in a book. Nancy and Ned decided to take their lunch to a picnic area outside of Candleton. When they finally returned to town, Ned parked his car on the main street and the two young people walked along looking at the shops. They paused before the window of a novelty jewelry store.
Suddenly Nancy heard the familiar tinkle of a little bell. She turned her head quickly. Madame and her attractive cosmetic cart were coming up the street!
Looking in the direction of the cart, Ned observed Madame with interest. Her dark-skinned face was shaded by an elaborate flowered hat.
"Say, who is she?" he asked. "I"ve seen her before somewhere, but I don"t recall her pushing a fancy cart!"
Madame, who was now opposite them, did not seem to recognize either of the young people. She quickly pushed her cart past them and hurried down the street. Or was she only pretending not to know them?
"Maybe you"re acquainted with her friend?" Ned questioned Nancy suddenly, his eyes twinkling.
He gazed toward a stocky red-faced man who had emerged from the shadow of a nearby doorway, and joined the woman at the next corner. Both glanced back toward the young people.
"No, I never saw him before," Nancy replied, but she knew she would not forget his face. It was cruel and calculating.
The stranger made no attempt to buy any of the French woman"s cosmetics or perfumes. Apparently he was well acquainted with her, for they conversed freely. The man gestured angrily, and Ned and Nancy guessed he was trying to force the woman to agree to something against her will. Once Madame pointed toward the young people. Wrathfully the man pulled down her arm.
"What do you make of it?" Ned asked curiously.
Nancy had no answer. She continued to stare as Madame and her companion hurriedly walked away together and disappeared in the direction of the beach.
CHAPTER VIII.
The Collector
SOON after Nancy and Ned returned to Mrs. Chantrey"s, Ned said good-by. Early that evening, before their hostess came in, Bess and George went to the movies. Nancy and her father sat alone on the porch.
"It"s wonderful to be here with you, Dad," Nancy said affectionately. "But I"m getting a bit restless. You hinted at my being able to help you on Mrs. Chantrey"s case. You haven"t given me my job yet."
"That"s right, Nancy. But you must admit I was delayed in carrying on my own work. Thanks to you, though, I got out of that awful hotel. Now I can continue where I left off.
"A New York broker named Harry Tyrox," Mr. Drew went on grimly, "sold Mrs. Chantrey a lot of bad stock. He and his gang of sharp operators must be prosecuted. I"m afraid, though," the lawyer added, "that Mrs. Chantrey will never get her money back."
"Have you told her?" Nancy asked.
"No, but I think she suspects it. The job I had for you, Nancy, concerns Mrs. Chantrey herself. I"m afraid if someone doesn"t bolster her morale, she may break down."
"Oh!" Nancy exclaimed, then whispered, "Sh, Dad, here she comes."
Mrs. Chantrey walked up the porch steps, looking very tired. Nancy asked about her day at the Salsandee Shop, and she admitted she was having trouble again with her employees. A waitress had given up her job without notice, and one of the shop"s most reliable cooks had had an accident and was unable to work.
"I don"t know what I"ll do." The tearoom owner gave a deep sigh.
"Why not use me again?" Nancy volunteered. "I"d love to help. I"m sure Bess and George would too."
"It isn"t fair to you girls," their hostess protested. "I invited you here for a vacation."
"And we"re having a grand one!" Nancy declared. "Why, it"s fun working at the Salsandee Shop. And I have another reason for wanting to be there," the girl added. "I"m especially interested in one of your customers."
"Do you mean the man who dropped the paper telling about the x.x.x bell with the jewels in it?" Mrs. Chantrey asked.
"That"s right. Did he ever come to claim it?"
"No, he never returned. The paper is still in the drawer at the shop."
Early the next morning Bess, George, and Nancy donned uniforms and once more took up their duties at the tearoom.
Nancy wondered if she would ever meet "the bell man" again. She was very much pleased, therefore, when she saw him come in at three o"clock. He paused at the cashier"s desk, and Nancy heard him say in an agitated voice:
"My name is Hendrick-Amos Hendrick. Only this morning I discovered the loss of a certain paper. It"s valuable, and I"ll pay a good reward to get it back. I"m not certain I lost it here, but there"s a chance it dropped from my pocket when I paid my bill."
"I"ll ask the owner, Mr. Hendrick," the cashier replied.
"A. H., if you please," the man said firmly. "I don"t like to be called Hendrick."
There was no need for the cashier to ask Mrs. Chantrey about the paper. Nancy identified the man as the person who had sat at the table where she had found the strange message.
"And you"re the pretty little waitress who served me so nicely," Mr. Hendrick said with a smile.
Nancy searched the desk drawer where the envelope with the mysterious message had been placed. She went through its contents carefully. Satisfied that the paper was not there, she searched the other drawers. The secret message could not be found. Neither Mrs. Chantrey nor any of the employees was able to throw light on its disappearance.
Mr. Hendrick plainly was distressed. "That paper is very old and valuable," he declared.
Equally troubled by the loss, Nancy did not know what to say.
"Don"t you remember the contents of the message?" she inquired.
" "Course I do. That paper was found in my father"s safe when he died and I know the contents by heart. But I don"t want it to fall into the hands of a stranger!"
"Then you believe that some other person may be interested in searching for one of those x.x.x bells?"
A. H. gave her a quick, guarded look. George, who had joined the group with Bess, exclaimed impulsively, "You"re making a mistake if you don"t tell Nancy all about your paper and get her to help you! Why, she"s solved more mysteries than you could count on your fingers and toes together!"
The man paused. His eyes sparkled as he said, "Ganging up on me, eh? You girls are three peas in a pod. Now why are you so interested in that paper?"
"Because we like adventure," Bess replied.
Mr. Hendrick"s interest was aroused. He asked several questions about the detective work Nancy had done. She was uncertain whether he was joking or serious when he inquired:
"Well, how much will you charge to take my case? It"s a tough one, I warn you."
"I solve mysteries for the fun of it," Nancy replied. "Suppose you tell me about your case, Mr. Hendrick."
"Not here."