Bess sighed. "She probably forgot to take it with her because she was in such a hurry to get away."

As the group read on, there was only praise for the elderly custodian who had permitted Cyclops to sleep on the second floor of the museum and to carry on certain experiments in the building.

"This means Cyclops is one person," Nancy deduced, "not a gang."

"But what about his pals?" George spoke up. "How much did they know?"

"Read this!" Nancy said presently. "Cyclops actually experimented on the glowing eye project right here, and Miss Wilkin knew all about it!"

George asked, "Do you suppose she could have worked hand in hand with her nephew?"

"That seems incredible," Professor t.i.tus replied. "I'm more inclined to think that Miss Wilkin did not understand the invention. When several people inquired about it, she became suspicious herself. Then, after what happened to Nancy yesterday, the woman panicked and left suddenly."

Nancy was not completely satisfied with this explanation. Did Miss Wilkin believe that Cyclops' pals were Emerson College students? Or had she lied to Nancy and her friends when asked about them?

The discussion was interrupted by a knock on the front door. The professor opened it and admitted a man who said he was Ben Farley from the telephone company.

"We've received complaints from people who have tried to call here. Apparently your line's out of order."

Nancy pulled out the map of the museum's first floor and looked carefully for the main telephone-box location. She found it and the repairman suggested that the incoming line was probably underground in a bas.e.m.e.nt not shown on the directions. Professor t.i.tus and the girls went with him. They found the box.

"Uh-uh," the repairman said, "someone cut the line!"

After examining the break carefully, Farley asked, "Did you have a burglary?"

Professor t.i.tus said he did not think so, but they had just discovered that an intruder had slept on the second floor.

The telephone man went out to his truck to get special wire and tools. The others returned to the lobby and continued to read the book of poems by Cyclops. There were many items which seemed to identify Cyclops as Zapp Crosson. One was a poem in which the words "cross" and "on" were used to describe an ill-tempered little boy with fiery red hair.

"He must have been describing himself as a child," George declared.

Nancy said she was sure Crosson would return to the museum and perhaps bring his pals with him. "I feel this place should be guarded," she said.

At once Professor t.i.tus offered to stay.

"But not alone!" Nancy said. "I certainly think Bess and George and I should remain with you."

Just then the telephone repairman came back to the lobby and reported that service on the line had been restored.

"That's good," said Bess. "It's kind of eerie being in a place like this without a telephone."

Ben Farley smiled and said if there was any further trouble to contact the company. He drove off.

"The first person I should call," said Nancy, "is my dad."

Professor t.i.tus said he would like to let his wife know the change of plan and why he would not be home.

Bess spoke up. "I think Burt and Dave should be told, too."

"Yes," George agreed, "and besides, we should find out if they have had any news of Ned either from him or from the authorities."

The calls were made. Burt and Dave were surprised and concerned for their friends' safety but thought the girls' plan to keep an overnight watch was a good one.

"We haven't heard anything from or about Ned," Burt added.

When all the phoning was finished, Bess glanced at her watch. "Do you know it's dinner-time?" she asked. "Suppose I phone a restaurant in town and see if they'll deliver some food to us?"

Hopefully she tried one place after another and was beginning to think the group would have to go all night without eating, when she found a roadside restaurant that did deliver meals. The food arrived within an hour. They sat on chairs in the main lobby to eat. After they finished, each one began to nod and close his eyes.

They took turns walking around, trying to stay awake. But by ten o'clock everyone was back in his chair and getting into a comfortable position for a nap.

All the lights had been turned out and the watchers remained silent until sleep overcame them.

No one knew how long they had dozed when suddenly the group was awakened by a strong, penetrating searchlight flashed in their faces. As the startled group concentrated on it, everyone realized that the light seemed to be emitted from a huge glowing eye.

Nancy's first thought was to make a dash for the person holding the searchlight. To her amazement she found herself unable to get up. She stared stupefied at the others. Each one sat paralyzed!

Suddenly a voice that seemed to come from far away said, "Don't try to follow me even after you can move again!"

"Don't follow me after you can move!" the stranger ordered.

At once the huge light went out and the immobile group could vaguely hear the front door open and close. The person with the glowing eye searchlight had left!

It was fully five minutes before anyone could move or speak. Slowly Nancy arose and made her way to the telephone on the desk. As she lifted the phone, a light went on showing up the numbers. She dialed the police emergency number and got headquarters. A sergeant on duty promised to send men out right away.

Nancy turned on the lights in the lobby and asked the others how they were feeling. Fortunately no one had suffered any bad effects.

"That was a strange experience," Professor t.i.tus remarked.

"Have you any explanation for it?" Nancy asked him.

"Not exactly," he replied, "but it reminds me of something I read about medical students studying the brain waves of a person who had been put to sleep under hypnosis. It was discovered that his wave pattern could be imprinted upon another brain by using a laser beam of a certain wavelength. Of course the original brain waves had to be programmed in order to be modulated. This in turn produced a 'paralyzing' sleep."

Nancy was thoughtful. "What happened to us must have been done some other way because n.o.body hypnotized us and the programming would have had to be different for each individual in the group."

"That's right," Professor t.i.tus agreed. "The phenomenon we experienced will take a good deal of study."

Bess's eyes were wide open. "Who would ever think of such a horrible invention?"

Professor t.i.tus smiled. "Criminals conjure up many things that ordinarily seem beyond their capabilities. I think I've made a discovery. The person who gave us the warning a few minutes ago sounded exactly like Zapp Crosson."

"Maybe he has been on the third floor all this time," George suggested. "I'll run up and see if that door leading to it is unlocked." In a couple of minutes she reported that the door was still tightly locked.

Bess looked frightened. "Are you saying that Zapp Crosson is up there with his paralyzing searchlight and may come back any time to use it on us again?"

Nancy said she doubted this because they had heard the front door close. "I don't think he'll return here for a while."

She picked up the phone once more and contacted police headquarters. This time she asked them to send out a detective, who was also a locksmith.