Nancy pulled up and the three girls went in to inquire about accommodations. The house was owned by a Mrs. Hosking. She was very friendly and her home was immaculate.

Mrs. Hosking said, "Yes, I have a large front room on the second floor with three beds. Tell me, are you girls on a trip?"

"Well, sort of," Nancy replied. "We have the key for the person who has rented the Baker cottage. Then we'd like to find Mr. Winch."

Mrs. Hosking shuddered. "I can tell you where Henry is-visiting his brother in Ridgeton, our county seat. But listen, girls, don't you go down to that cottage-especially at night. Why, just two days ago Henry came dashing in here white as a ghost. Now, he's not a man who scares easy. He declared he'd seen the lost launch."

"What is that? And why should it scare him?" Nancy asked.

Mrs. Hosking explained that around the turn of the century there had been a large picnic grove at the far end of the lake. An excursion launch had carried parties up to the picnic grounds.

"One night the launch sprang a leak and went down quickly. Everyone on board was trapped and lost."

"How shocking!" Bess murmured.

"After that," Mrs. Hosking went on, "the picnic spot became unpopular and soon no one went there any more."

"But what does this have to do with now?" George asked.

Mrs. Hosking's voice dropped to a whisper. "Many people have been saying that recently the ill-fated launch and its passengers have been seen at night through the mist near the picnic grove."

Bess hunched her shoulders. "That sounds absolutely spooky."

"It is," Mrs. Hosking said. "And more than spooky. I've known Henry Winch all my life. If he says he saw that old launch, then I know he did. I beg you girls to stay away."

Nancy smiled. "We appreciate your warning," she said. "Don't worry, Mrs. Hosking. We'll be back. Please tell me how to get to the Baker cottage."

Reluctantly, Mrs. Hosking gave directions. The girls started off down the main street where they would turn into a dirt lane that led down to the lake. On the way, Bess spotted a small grocery store that was open and begged Nancy to stop so that she could pick up a few items. "I know we'll all be starving before we get to bed. Remember, we had a very early dinner."

Grinning, Nancy complied. When Bess returned from the shop, she was carrying a large bag which she said contained milk, cocoa, cookies, and ham sandwiches. Nancy and George wanted to tease her, but refrained. It was just possible that Bess was right and they would all be hungry by bedtime.

By this time it was dark. Nancy drove slowly so that she would not miss the dirt lane. She turned left onto it and they rode nearly a mile before coming to the bluff which rimmed the large oval lake. All the houses seemed to be closed up for the season. The girls could not see a light.

The lane branched left and right along the edge of the bluff. Mrs. Hosking had told Nancy to take the left-hand fork, which wound down among trees to a row of cottages. After passing two of them, they came to Henry Winch's dock and small store. As they rode on, Bess kept her eyes nervously on the water, wondering if they would see the strange apparition of the picnic launch, but nothing appeared. They drove by two more cottages, and when they came to the third, Nancy turned off the motor.

"This is it," she said.

From the roadway, a narrow footpath led among evergreen and birch trees to the Baker cottage, near one end of the lake. The girls took out flashlights and started down the path. They had not gone far when they were startled to hear footsteps almost directly behind them. Recalling Mrs. Hosking's warning, they turned and shone their lights on the oncoming figure.

"That mysterious girl again!" Nancy gasped

Nancy gave a gasp of surprise. "That mysterious girl again!"

It was indeed the young woman from the White Mill restaurant!

She was wearing a light raincoat and a head scarf, out of which peeked curly red hair. A thought flashed through Nancy's mind. Could this be Cecily Curtis?

The stranger stared in astonishment. She stood for a moment without saying anything, then suddenly turned and ran up the path.

"Cecily! Are you Cecily?" Nancy cried out.

The fleeing figure paused and whirled about. A look of terror crossed her face as she cried out:

"You can't stop me from getting the babies!"

The next moment she had rushed off and vanished from sight.

CHAPTER III.

Mistaken Identity

As the distraught girl vanished into the darkness, Nancy, Bess, and George stood still. They were completely puzzled. Was Cecily Curtis the red-haired young woman they had seen at the White Mill restaurant?

"But why would she run away from us?" Bess asked.

"And what did she mean about the babies?" George added.

Nancy reminded the cousins that they were all assuming the young woman was Cecily Curtis. "We ought to know soon, one way or the other. It's getting late."

When the girls reached the cottage on the lake front they looked up to the opposite end of the lake, a scant half mile away. A heavy mist shrouded it. Nancy guessed there might be hot springs in that area, which would account for the unusually heavy vapor. The moon was rising and revealed several cottages in the distance to their right.

Suddenly Bess said, "Look up on the bluff about halfway to the far end of the lake! There's a big house with a light in the second floor. Somebody's staying there!"

"Maybe," said George, "it's an all-year home."

As Nancy unlocked the door of the Baker cottage, Bess remarked, "It is eerie around this place. I'll be glad to get back to town."

George said sternly, "Now don't be imagining things."

"Well, if I do," Bess retorted, "I'm in good company. Mrs. Hosking advised us not to come here and Henry Winch, who isn't a 'fraidy cat, got enough of a scare to make him leave the lake."

Nancy laughed. "At least the Baker cottage is okay. No ghosts here!"

She beamed her flashlight about the interior. The living-dining room stretched across the front of the house and was comfortably furnished. Books and magazines on low tables and a huge fireplace gave the room a homelike atmosphere. George spotted a kerosene lamp, and with matches from the mantelshelf, lighted it.

"How cozy!" Bess exclaimed. "I'll bet it's wonderful in the summer with swimming and boating and everything. But why in the world would anybody want to come here alone this time of the year?"

"Fall is beautiful," George answered. "Maybe some people just like to look at the fall foliage."

The cottage was in perfect order, but the beds were not made and there was no food. Nancy built a fire in a wood stove in the kitchen and Bess prepared cocoa. George soon had a fire roaring in the fireplace and before long the chill of the cabin was gone. As the girls waited for Cecily, they talked about their experiences and conceded the day had been full of surprises.

Finally Nancy looked at her watch. "Do you realize it is ten o'clock and Cecily hasn't come yet?"

"What'll we do?" Bess asked. "We can't sit up all night."

Nancy suddenly proposed, "Why don't we sleep here? Cecily may not arrive until very late."