"She's right," said Burt. "You girls stay here. We'll find out what's going on in the theater."

Nancy, still shaken by what had happened, agreed to wait in the corridor with the other girls.

The three boys were gone for several minutes, then returned to report they had found no one. Everyone was upset over the incident.

"Let's find the person who brought the message to the band leader," George suggested.

Ned turned to the other boys. "Isn't Jim Hankin on duty outside the gym tonight?" he asked.

"Yes, I think he is."

Ned explained that Jim was the guard for the evening to turn away from the dance anyone who was not invited.

The group went at once to speak to him. Jim said a plainclothesman had come up to him and showed a badge. The detective said he did not want to intrude and asked that a student take the message to Nancy.

Nancy jumped forward just as the curtain crashed

to the floor

"I didn't know her, so I asked our band leader to do it," Jim explained.

He was quickly told what had happened and looked worried. "I don't think that man will show up around here again, but if he does, I'll sure hold onto him and yell for help."

Nancy spoke up. "What did the man look like?"

She rather expected Jim to describe Edgar Nixon, but was told that the fake plainclothesman was tall, heavy-set, and had blond hair. Nancy a.s.sumed he was a pal of Edgar Nixon.

The Lonely Hearts Club suspect probably did not want to take a chance on being identified and had sent someone else. He was probably an out-of-towner, not known to the Emerson police.

Nancy and her friends returned to the dance, but they did not wait until it was over. Though Nancy hated to admit it, she was exhausted. The day had been a strenuous one for Ned and he also was pretty tired.

Everyone slept soundly, but was up in time the next morning to go the special chapel service arranged for students and their dates. As soon as it was over, Nancy and Ned returned to the Omega Chi Epsilon House. The telephone was ringing and the call proved to be for Nancy.

"It's from a Mrs. Gruen," she was told by the student on duty at the time.

Nancy picked up the receiver and said, "h.e.l.lo. Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine and your father is too," the housekeeper said, "but things are not well with Ira Nixon. His brother came last night and robbed him!"

CHAPTER XVIII.

Skakespearean Puzzle

HANNAH Gruen explained to Nancy that after church she had taken some food to poor Ira Nixon.

"He was in a bad state," she reported. "The theft occurred late last night. Edgar came there and pounded on the door until Ira let him in. He never so much as asked how Ira was feeling, or when he was going back to work or anything. That dreadful Edgar started right in demanding money."

"You mean part of the inheritance?"

"No, no. Edgar said Ira always had been a miser and he was sure he had money hidden in the house. When Ira wouldn't answer him, Edgar started hunting for some himself."

Nancy was shocked at the story. She asked if Edgar had found any money.

"That's the dreadful part of it," Mrs. Gruen went on. "Ira did have some in the house-lots of it. He was very foolish not to have put it in a bank."

"How did Edgar get hold of the money?" Nancy queried.

"He stole it," the housekeeper said. "Edgar Nixon practically tore the house apart. He ripped sofa cushions, bed pillows, and emptied every drawer in the house."

"How dreadful!" Nancy exclaimed. "Do you know how much money he got?"

The answer stunned her. "One thousand dollars!"

"Oh no!" Nancy cried out. "Poor Ira! How was he feeling when you left him?"

"Pretty bad," Mrs. Gruen replied. "I warmed up the food I took and made him eat some of it. This quieted him a bit, but I kept telling him he should notify the police. He refuses to and wouldn't let me."

Nancy was incensed. But she could see that Ira, despite his family misfortune, did not want any unfavorable publicity about his half brother. After all, they did have the same mother.

"I thought I'd better call you, Nancy, and tell you right away," Mrs. Gruen said. "What do you think should be done?"

Nancy asked the housekeeper if she had spoken to Mr. Drew about it. "No, I haven't had a chance. After church, your father went out into the country to see a client. He was planning to have dinner there."

For several seconds Nancy sat lost in thought. Finally Mrs. Gruen said, "Nancy, are you still there?"

"Yes. I'm just thinking. Wait until I get back before doing anything. We girls are heading home this afternoon."

She quickly told Hannah Gruen what had happened at Emerson and said that actually she was no closer to finding either Edgar Nixon or Nancy Smith Drew than she had been days ago.

"Well, Hannah dear, I guess I'd better hang up now. Ned and the others are waiting for me to have lunch. I'll see you around suppertime."

At the lunch table Nancy told her friends about the latest twist in the mystery. Her friends were dismayed, and Dave remarked, "Edgar Nixon is one of the slipperiest crooks I've ever heard of."

Nancy said, "Before we girls leave Emerson, I'd like to call on Mrs. Roderick once more. It's just possible she has heard from Nancy Smith Drew but hasn't bothered to telephone me about it."

Bess and George offered to do Nancy's packing while she was gone. In a little while she and Ned rode off in the convertible.

When Mrs. Roderick opened her front door, she exclaimed, "You're just the people I want to see! I was going to call you, Nancy, but I couldn't remember which fraternity house you said you were in."

"You have news of Miss Drew?" Nancy asked.

"Indeed I do. Please come inside and sit down. I'm so weak from the shock I just had that my knees are still wobbly."

They all went into the living room and sat down. Mrs. Roderick explained that she taught a Sunday-school cla.s.s and then went to church service afterward.