Show faa V aft yo t qu SYNOPSIS on ft a certain momentous monday morning huss constance ful ter ler cataloguer itta louer and seller of at rare books at darrows Darrow li new and secondhand second hand bookshop new york kork notices that the first customer Is a dignified white beatt bearded led old who saunters into the alcove pla carded medical works peter burton Ij urton ore one of the employers amazes ca constance n eta lice by telling har be vald paid at auction tor for in an old law jaw book containing acol a colfax bookplate book plat suddenly a girls girl shriek of rings out in the store the elderly customer Is on the floor unconscious with his bis right wrist slashed just before the shrieking girl falls falla in a faint she calls out to peter whom jhb seems to ze recognize cognize as the moo who bought the rare book in richmond va a few days before keep ita it keep it lor for me nie peters slater nancy boan began that morning working at darr Darro darrows aws wB CHAPTER III continued 4 what a shamel shame I 1 I 1 sympathized people are just silly and maybe its a little too soon to expect to rent the oal flat your tuck luck will burnill J ernesto arnesto gave a pessimistic artistic shrug nud and moved off to greet some hew arrivals naney nancy leaned over the tattle toward me 1 I want to ask your advice she announced noun ced peter thinks youre the most sensible young woman ile he knows thank you ou that makes Y a kirl girl feet feel sa so nice and safe I 1 absorbed in a new idea nancy continued to leap lean over tile the table and so missed a two second drama that flashed past on 0 tho the staircase silhouetted ed against the big pull hall window the figure of a young man suddenly turned the corner of the landing leaped to the hall posed posea effectively an instant back toward me before a long mirror near the staircase then satisfied hashed flashed past the fiall ball door aboor the front door slammed ills his vis c dred red cap had biad been lo 10 low on his face he wore a loud vaguely familiar suh culi tills this Is what whai I 1 want to ark you about nancy na ney was saying eagerly do jou you think it would be all right if petr peter find and I 1 should take taka that flat upstairs could you and 4 I 1 look at it after lunch do you think it would woud be at all wb I 1 suppose so if you yon and reter peiei wanta hat buah bu why y y a because maln b InEIl ted mso so about mi my elop emeal that I 1 simply wont Is tax home borne iN elther will pe peter ter a left and we wb fin Vent anywhere to go gonot not even tonight I 1 and weva weve always lived downtown and like it and I 1 love to keep house and I 1 dont see eee why I 1 should bd ba done out ol of everything lust just because 4 ohi never finished I 1 I 1 perceived that 1 I 1 was now in tor for the conclusion of this distressing childs singular romance brandoli came to tile the house honse in about half an hour to get my suit case ase proceeded nancy systematically while everybody was still out it was packed standing by the haill hatrock hatrack hat rock rack ue he waited were there while I 1 dashed bashed upstairs for ray my things I 1 badat expected him quite so soon I 1 came right down again but he be was already holding the door doom open with the suitcase in abne hand andnis and bis own bag in the other we goi thi ane train all right As we fae were getting e tang into trenton where it stopped VZ he suggested going into the diner ainer to 0 o get esbine some teabe wd said if id go in first and keep p table hed come right along after hold hed moved our things to a better rest feat that wa was gIust just being vacated but ahad I 1 had to come right bac back kjor for the diner was full I 1 I 1 met him just as he was vas starting for forward ward with our bags end goodness helas he was crossl cross 1 I 1 thought he must most be terribly hungry and say anything well at philadelphia we had to changed change trains for foi atlantic gity ity and wait a few minutes for cpr the connection na de s said aid vh why dain dont t you go buy those picture 10 I 1 bad sug eug i sending some horn to tell our news so I 1 went over to the newsstand stand and turned around to look at him and lie he was racing toward the door with our two baesl what did you do A I 1 inquired at last interested 1 I ran faster ano another ther way and got to the door first and yes ses my deary dearl 1 I 1 grabbed airty my own suitcase and hit flit him kird hard nancy sald I 1 1 to in congratulatory tones ones shed ho no tears orbr over your erst while friend air tower I 1 think you did a good job with him film what the travelers a aid id lady sald said abs observed e d nn nancy n cy complacently th guard got her right away because I 1 cried and brandon ran anul I 1 she telegraphed for ater peter ond end he came for me late in ili the evening I 1 was so o o glad to see him I 1 and then thed as lie fie and the travelers old nid lady and I 1 were vere crossing the statina to tile the new york train will you yori bell believe seve me ro ethere abere was brandon again snooping behind a bench I 1 well like A a fool 1 I suppose 0 pose bc because causa 1 I was so nervous ner I 1 screamed why owhy did he come back I 1 help puzz puzzling ilog aloud 1 q I give up 1 confessed nancy did hn hg think I 1 would ever ever ever in athla world or me che next forgive him film tor for trying to get fid eld of we me after hed by MILLE R service Q ly the th century co asked me to go off with him wet well un anyway there he was 11 what zay alj dl ho he do dor ilan of course and I 1 suppose peter gave cl chase iasell yes he overtook him and they had a dreadful fight tight right there thae ta the station but Jl raudon got away and peter got goi arrested ani und came home only this flits morning the Travelers 1 aid a ld lady biou brought kift ma me homi borne and 0 on a the train whispered nancy in an awk awe struck tone as the last fragment of if pastry vanished the queerest thing of all happened 1 what was it you see sec I 1 I 1 cried so much 1 had bad to have a clean handkerchief I 1 opened my suitcase to got get one and inside were peters gray tweed suit and collars and razors raz ora and and a crumbly old leather law book bockl I 1 nancy 1 was it really peters suit case all the time and not yours ayou you get the ibe point at once I 1 noticed it before because j J been carrying the bags anyway the two suitcases are just ordinary black leather ones much lucli alike I 1 haven t had time yet to figure out how they hey got changed but at least I 1 changed them back again when I 1 got home come on lets go and look at that that flat I 1 sumi summoned ernesto and explained to him that miss burton was desirous of inspecting his vacant meant apartment by the happ happiest lesi of coincidences she and her brother were were now seeking new living quarters and shared his contempt for the subway ernesto raptly led us forthwith up two steep flights of stairs and into a sunny front suite of three small rooms made by cunning partitioning out of one former enormous apartment nancy eyed with cool appraisal the in the living room punched the mattresses rattled the pod in the kitchenette and discussed terms with ernesto she had rot got kept house for a refined ned genteelly poor widowed father for nothing finally who else lives here she inquired in the rear apartment just behind mel replied ernesto me ale my wife my four children never will you be lonely 1 below he paused with an air of climax lives mr grosvenor I 1 chos tie he demanded miss man hattan with unshaken morale most alost dasting distinguish gentleman 1 I 1 he owned this hou faduce ee long jago ago it was hla his fathers ue he sell to me ine I 1 rent him one floor so all his life fie be live in one house bouse think for new york 1 Is he be nice inquired nancy sure V I 1 I 1 tel tell I 1 you most distinguish I 1 miss bliss grosvenor also they are very quiet lady and gentleman and most distinguish I 1 nobody else ae live here everybody welt well I 1 guess it if my brother and I 1 will do well come decided nancy and with her brantli takang speed snatched a 0 ten cotlar bill from be bei purse and thrust it at Er ernesto vesto he buitt bustled e id downstairs ahead of us to tc make out the receipt for the deposit a ncy I 1 remonstrated feebly it be better to wait and let lei peter come and eee cee suppose he be certainly he will like it tl hes got iov toi I 1 took it on his account so con convenient ven tent right in our liu business neighborhood I 1 I 1 am perfectly post live li t is Is going to be just the right place for us so they were coming there but most mosi of nancys previous judgment filled no me with a curious apprehension that somehow Eom ebow it was going tobe to be lust just the wrong place for them thein my lunch eon enterprise had certainly been beem successful in convincing nancy that all Is no DO necessarily over at seventeen nevertheless it had bad oiled filled nie me with an inexplicable sinking feeling which even the ob affectionate gods god s speed of ernesto failed to dispel CHAPTER IV exit bookplate it was very quiet to in the shop dalsy daisy abbott noting toy my entrance etole forward loaded to the guards with i important news that poor boac old gentleman I 1 he died died at one mr ause aase t to told id us without recovering conscious ness I 1 Inqui inquired redi spreading out my index cards as a gentle hint that I 1 would be alone yes and nobody knows who wl 0 he be Is and employ employees ies are not to talk about the accident miss puller fuller and oh that girl who gave the alarm 1 she ashes still the hospital people say this the most exciting and awful tiling you evir ever hadj happen to you I 1 agreed fervently and daisy evaporated e d giving rae me a ahn chance while ODI finishing shing my Index to reflect cf on tile the many strange events connected with that mysterious old laii low book now up in mr bir darrows Dur rows of ocke lice bov rn ninny an y pe deroon arso ap had fiad shown interest in III it I 1 peter ieter Bt burton irton his bis un nn knotts alv rival al bidder at Klch mond i that girl whoever er had broken open peters Ic 8 suitcase alt eltse in in alia tie hotel and now the police end and handsomer handsome brandon for ua under er whose du auspices spIces II if not his had nancys suitcase suitcase suddenly become Pete peters esl elopement for I 1 lie he had not hid had even the slightest design against herl lah pro mosill to elope was nothing but a pretext to anjer the burton house for nancy with ber artless narrative of peters trip bad ad anfor informed d him exactly where the law book was of whose existence and value hi he was evide evidently nUy somehow aware already then in the numbers number of the book was vas the poor old gentleman of the law alcove yet was waa it ii sensible boass to ume ahat that out of the hundreds of books there e he fie had lly ily wanted cla Clari hews notes but if not wily why was the girl who had a vital interest in that very book sa so extraordinarily upset when she found mhd old mun man dying wily why did she ery cry kep it for mel now what whatever ever value it had was as an antique and fur law book collectors I 1 As the book itself was not a valuable trophy could there be anything about the plate that might have influenced the sear searcher cherof of peters suitcase I 1 resolved to presume on the 06 fact of being one of the employees mr darrow spoke to to ascend to his odice and to ask his secretary to let me see Clarl hewa notes incidentally I 1 intended to gete get a look at that bookplate myself I 1 rang for the elevator down it clanked with unheard of promptness and out stepped mr case and a tall young man inon a str stranger aDger ah miss r tiller fuller said mr case cas 01 of course youre unfailingly ready for us this Is captain ashland mr i I 1 I 1 1 I grabbed away my suitcase and hit him hard darrows nephew iles hes been looking us over for an hour or so already and by the way of a climax has come to see your famous card index miss fuller sir can give you more exact sac information than anyone else here regarding our cataloguing catalo guing methods quite sol murmured captain ash land agreeably and of course I 1 am here in search of information and er instruction with all the enthusiasm I 1 did not feel on being hus I 1 baffled by a person so surprising that at he could reach an appointment ahead of ale I 1 led the way to admy my desk the captala prompt ly revealed other surp surprises risea ills III opening remarks had certainly not noi been recalcitrant t and he did not look any more complacent than any other keen been prosperous young man in the ate twenties lie he was dark balfred clean sli shaven hven slightly stooped tie he had a brilliant rosy complexion rather small very sharp twinkling gray eyes half concealed behind tight spectacles with tiny black rims and a most anost am amiable lable expression tn in which composure was waa tho the leading characteristic moreover I 1 soon saw that while I 1 might introduce him film to tj new mechanical devices I 1 could learn far more than thac I 1 taught about rare boks books and literary curiosities ile be had bad been too severely wouD wounded ded it seemed in the somme bonime offensive to in 1016 1916 ever to return to the front ue he had therefore turned rebelliously I 1 judge at th thai tit hour of history to ac a thorough knowledge of his ane estul business I 1 got a further jur when I 1 sow him take promptly to our rainbow card system la in listening to his jodeh but authoritative convere conversation atlon tor for the first time that day I 1 forgot ray my troubles mid and what was still better other peoples and then suddenly a vivid blaze of life and color catlie auie lilting down the at aisle ae of theold the old diw dim book shop ahier had that very morning been beed the a scene cene of sinister tragedy nuncy nancy with her I 1 bright blue eyes her waving chestnut hair her peach clad feet and her applegreen apple green frock under her left a arm aro was pressed a thin octavo volu volume me bound la in calfskin pardon me miss bliss fuller I 1 have it a frow from mr darrow for you she hta an carefully and importantly tin as it if repeating a formula she had been tau glit will you fou kindly remove the from this hunk hook and have it ond the book advertised for sale sep pra ura loly itly la in tile the trade consumed with curiosity I 1 took look tile the book A shiny black lube pasted on the back bore the glit gilt lettered lederer title NOTES kotra on medical statutes i 1 tn the virginia a code W clarihew Clarl hew i S r mo 1810 youre sure the message e to Is alcor icor I 1 inquired 1 I 1 understood thle this book beok had already been ordered by the L agal eal federation nancys red lips parted in an excited titter they th ey wont take tn k e it I 1 t I 1 I 1 was stricken dumb by this devastating information its too expensive I 1 il confided nancy with most interesting captain ashland was observing her composedly i and with that close attention one basio bestons bestows ws on a remarkable foreigner and I 1 sen sensed that 16 the next minute she would split spill out giving due credit for fop samel same ills fils uncles nodes possibly hectic remarks on leaming that he had tor for once overreached filak lf heavens Heaven sl 1 had ulysses hit the bulls eye again for mr air darrow hud certainly lost some rome money I 1 I 1 gave nancy nanc a look that frost bit even her giggle very well go to miss bliss wilkes and tell her I 1 will follow mr darrows Darro wB instructions do you understand miss burton nancy nodded and retired J 1 burped toward the captain with the book he here I 1 ie marke d ills Is il a curiosity boull glad alad I 1 believe bil leve to have cios crossed se tha t bacan cean to see its a coise colfax bookplate 1 I inyl that would be a find an american ejaculated captain ashland almost excitedly he rose |