eyes sparkling like blue diamonds. “He really is an actor. All I can say is congratulations on your amazing recovery. No doubt you’ll have to do a lot more acting if we’re going to transport those children safely into Austria. I guess we all will.”
“I’m really sorry to have deceived everyone,” Eric said, chuckling a little, “but you can see the advantage of my being in a wheelchair. A man who can’t walk wouldn’t be of much help to anyone trying to escape enemy territory. ”
“So our opponents don’t regard you as a threat,” Nancy said.
“And the idea of using the wheelchair to deliver the final, secret instructions was a stroke of genius,” Dr. Bagley remarked. “The papers were probably slipped into the chair that time we lost sight of it in the hotel.”
Once the effect of the surprise had died down, Nancy and the professor began the complicated work of organizing a job for each person. First, Nancy telephoned Bess, George, Burt, and Dave and asked them to join the group.
“Wow, look at that wheelchair,” Dave said. “Did a truck run over it?”
“What on earth happened?” Bess chimed in.
“Everybody sit down and listen,” Dr. Bagley told them. “Please keep your voices down because what you are about to learn has already set off one explosion in this room. It’s amazing all of Vienna didn’t hear it. ”
In a few sentences, the professor revealed that Eric could, indeed, walk and the entire group had to collaborate in an effort to help ten children escape from Eastern Europe. Nancy then filled in about the missing film and how the enemy had offered to trade it and the children in return for Kurt Kessler’s surrender.
“What?” George said. “That’s downright outrageous!”
“I’ll say it is!” Bess exclaimed.
Burt and Dave also expressed anger when they heard Nancy’s final piece of information.
“Please, please,” Dr. Bagley said, quieting the group. “I know how you all must feel but we must keep cool.”
“Or we’ll ruin everything,” Nancy added.
George’s eyes flashed fire. “I’ll fight them myself,” she muttered evenly.
“You bet—me, too,” Bess added.
Everyone smiled at this unexpected sign of pugnacity from the usually timid girl.
“Don’t look at me that way. I’m an absolute terror when I get angry.”
With the preliminary talk behind them, Nancy cleared a large table, spread out a map of the border area, and began marking the points gleaned from the small map found in the wheelchair. She circled the general border area and with Mr. Popov’s aid, located the exact spot where the children and Mrs. Popov were hidden.
“It’s so close to the border,” the man said, “that we thought of making a run for it in the dark, but that would be too much for the smaller children. We’d be sure to make some noise and be discovered in no time.”
His listeners fell silent as they considered alternatives. Finally, Nancy tapped her finger on the map and spoke musingly.
“I think I know how to make this whole thing work. Ned, you organize the gang to buy the things I’m going to write down on this list. Then give me some time to make a few phones calls from the booth in the lobby so they can’t be traced. We’ll meet here in this room at eight o’clock tonight. In the meantime, Mr. Popov, you go to bed and get some sleep.”
Nancy’s friends read her shopping list with amusement and numerous wisecracks. The list included the following items:
Eleven inner tubes
One small tank of compressed air
Black greasepaint
Theatrical makeup kit
One ball gown circa 1880 with hat to match
One titian wig (long hair)
Six assorted pairs of sunglasses
A limousine, but no driver, to be ready at 7 A.M. the next day
A rental car large enough for six people also ready at 7 A.M.
Two duck calls
Two rubber scuba suits
Detailed maps of the Czech and Hungarian borders
A chauffeur’s uniform to fit Eric
A baseball hat to fit Dave
“Sounds
“I’m really sorry to have deceived everyone,” Eric said, chuckling a little, “but you can see the advantage of my being in a wheelchair. A man who can’t walk wouldn’t be of much help to anyone trying to escape enemy territory. ”
“So our opponents don’t regard you as a threat,” Nancy said.
“And the idea of using the wheelchair to deliver the final, secret instructions was a stroke of genius,” Dr. Bagley remarked. “The papers were probably slipped into the chair that time we lost sight of it in the hotel.”
Once the effect of the surprise had died down, Nancy and the professor began the complicated work of organizing a job for each person. First, Nancy telephoned Bess, George, Burt, and Dave and asked them to join the group.
“Wow, look at that wheelchair,” Dave said. “Did a truck run over it?”
“What on earth happened?” Bess chimed in.
“Everybody sit down and listen,” Dr. Bagley told them. “Please keep your voices down because what you are about to learn has already set off one explosion in this room. It’s amazing all of Vienna didn’t hear it. ”
In a few sentences, the professor revealed that Eric could, indeed, walk and the entire group had to collaborate in an effort to help ten children escape from Eastern Europe. Nancy then filled in about the missing film and how the enemy had offered to trade it and the children in return for Kurt Kessler’s surrender.
“What?” George said. “That’s downright outrageous!”
“I’ll say it is!” Bess exclaimed.
Burt and Dave also expressed anger when they heard Nancy’s final piece of information.
“Please, please,” Dr. Bagley said, quieting the group. “I know how you all must feel but we must keep cool.”
“Or we’ll ruin everything,” Nancy added.
George’s eyes flashed fire. “I’ll fight them myself,” she muttered evenly.
“You bet—me, too,” Bess added.
Everyone smiled at this unexpected sign of pugnacity from the usually timid girl.
“Don’t look at me that way. I’m an absolute terror when I get angry.”
With the preliminary talk behind them, Nancy cleared a large table, spread out a map of the border area, and began marking the points gleaned from the small map found in the wheelchair. She circled the general border area and with Mr. Popov’s aid, located the exact spot where the children and Mrs. Popov were hidden.
“It’s so close to the border,” the man said, “that we thought of making a run for it in the dark, but that would be too much for the smaller children. We’d be sure to make some noise and be discovered in no time.”
His listeners fell silent as they considered alternatives. Finally, Nancy tapped her finger on the map and spoke musingly.
“I think I know how to make this whole thing work. Ned, you organize the gang to buy the things I’m going to write down on this list. Then give me some time to make a few phones calls from the booth in the lobby so they can’t be traced. We’ll meet here in this room at eight o’clock tonight. In the meantime, Mr. Popov, you go to bed and get some sleep.”
Nancy’s friends read her shopping list with amusement and numerous wisecracks. The list included the following items:
Eleven inner tubes
One small tank of compressed air
Black greasepaint
Theatrical makeup kit
One ball gown circa 1880 with hat to match
One titian wig (long hair)
Six assorted pairs of sunglasses
A limousine, but no driver, to be ready at 7 A.M. the next day
A rental car large enough for six people also ready at 7 A.M.
Two duck calls
Two rubber scuba suits
Detailed maps of the Czech and Hungarian borders
A chauffeur’s uniform to fit Eric
A baseball hat to fit Dave
“Sounds
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