unconscious, he carried her to the tower.”
The two officers stared at the girls unbelievingly. Finally both grinned at Nancy and one said, “I must admit you do have a good detective instinct, Mademoiselle Drew, and your friend here too. Perhaps you three girls can give us some more help.”
This time Bess spoke up. “Yes, we can. I believe Monsieur and Madame Bardot will probably find some things missing.”
At once Monsieur Bardot went to the desk in his den. He yanked open the top drawer, then said, “Well, at least the burglar wasn’t after money. The bills I had here in an envelope are intact.”
Meanwhile, Madame Bardot had hurried upstairs to her room. In a moment the others heard her cry out, “They’re gone!”
The policemen rushed up the stairway, followed by the girls and Monsieur Bardot. They crowded into the bedroom.
“All my gold jewelry!” Madame Bardot gasped. “Some of it was very old and valuable—family heirlooms!”
This second shock was too much for Madame Bardot. She dropped into an armchair and began to weep. Her husband went to comfort her.
“There, there, dear, do not let this upset you,” he said. “Fifi is going to be all right, and you rarely wear the old jewelry, anyway.”
His wife dried her eyes. By the time the police asked for a description of the missing pieces, she had regained her composure enough to give them a list.
Nancy asked if any other jewelry had been taken, and Madame Bardot shook her head. This set Nancy to thinking. The intruder must have been after gold only! She inquired if there was anything else in the house made of the precious metal.
“Some demitasse spoons in the buffet,” Madame Bardot replied, “and a lovely collection of baby cups.”
She rushed downstairs to the buffet and opened the top drawer. “The spoons are gone!” Pulling the drawer out farther, the Frenchwoman cried out, “The baby cups too—all of them! I had one that once belonged to a queen. It is priceless!”
The Bardots opened every drawer and closet in the house to examine the contents. Nothing else had been taken. The police made no comment, but took notes.
Nancy herself was wondering if the intruder had a mania for gold. Suddenly she thought of the Green Lion, and Monsieur Neuf-Louis Aubert!
“Is he the housebreaker?” she asked herself.
Nancy was tempted to tell the police her suspicions about the man but decided that without any evidence she had better not. Instead, Nancy decided to consult her father about her theory.
After the police had left, she put in a call to Mr. Drew and fortunately reached him at once. He listened closely to Nancy’s account of her adventures and agreed with her that Louis Aubert was indeed a likely suspect for the chateau thefts. “He must have known Madame Bardot owned objects of pure gold. I hope they can be recovered,” the lawyer said.
Nancy mentioned the strange letters which Monsieur Aubert the teacher had received in error. She asked her father if he thought the elusive Louis Aubert, assuming he was a chemist, wanted the gold to use in an experiment.
“Very probable,” Mr. Drew answered.
Nancy’s father said he had news of his own. He had learned that Monsieur Leblanc had recently purchased a lot of uncut diamonds. “The reason is not clear,” Mr. Drew added. “It would not be feasible for him to have such a large quantity of stones cut for jewelry, and diamonds are certainly of no commercial value to him—they’re not used in his factory work as sharp drilling tools.”
Mr. Drew went on to say that Leblanc had served notice his factory was closing down in a month. “Of course his employees are in a dither.”
“That’s dreadful!” said Nancy. “Dad, what are you going to do?”
Mr. Drew sighed. “I don’t seem to be making much headway, but I have invited Monsieur Leblanc to luncheon today. I hope to find out something without his becoming suspicious.”
“Please let me know what happens,” Nancy
The two officers stared at the girls unbelievingly. Finally both grinned at Nancy and one said, “I must admit you do have a good detective instinct, Mademoiselle Drew, and your friend here too. Perhaps you three girls can give us some more help.”
This time Bess spoke up. “Yes, we can. I believe Monsieur and Madame Bardot will probably find some things missing.”
At once Monsieur Bardot went to the desk in his den. He yanked open the top drawer, then said, “Well, at least the burglar wasn’t after money. The bills I had here in an envelope are intact.”
Meanwhile, Madame Bardot had hurried upstairs to her room. In a moment the others heard her cry out, “They’re gone!”
The policemen rushed up the stairway, followed by the girls and Monsieur Bardot. They crowded into the bedroom.
“All my gold jewelry!” Madame Bardot gasped. “Some of it was very old and valuable—family heirlooms!”
This second shock was too much for Madame Bardot. She dropped into an armchair and began to weep. Her husband went to comfort her.
“There, there, dear, do not let this upset you,” he said. “Fifi is going to be all right, and you rarely wear the old jewelry, anyway.”
His wife dried her eyes. By the time the police asked for a description of the missing pieces, she had regained her composure enough to give them a list.
Nancy asked if any other jewelry had been taken, and Madame Bardot shook her head. This set Nancy to thinking. The intruder must have been after gold only! She inquired if there was anything else in the house made of the precious metal.
“Some demitasse spoons in the buffet,” Madame Bardot replied, “and a lovely collection of baby cups.”
She rushed downstairs to the buffet and opened the top drawer. “The spoons are gone!” Pulling the drawer out farther, the Frenchwoman cried out, “The baby cups too—all of them! I had one that once belonged to a queen. It is priceless!”
The Bardots opened every drawer and closet in the house to examine the contents. Nothing else had been taken. The police made no comment, but took notes.
Nancy herself was wondering if the intruder had a mania for gold. Suddenly she thought of the Green Lion, and Monsieur Neuf-Louis Aubert!
“Is he the housebreaker?” she asked herself.
Nancy was tempted to tell the police her suspicions about the man but decided that without any evidence she had better not. Instead, Nancy decided to consult her father about her theory.
After the police had left, she put in a call to Mr. Drew and fortunately reached him at once. He listened closely to Nancy’s account of her adventures and agreed with her that Louis Aubert was indeed a likely suspect for the chateau thefts. “He must have known Madame Bardot owned objects of pure gold. I hope they can be recovered,” the lawyer said.
Nancy mentioned the strange letters which Monsieur Aubert the teacher had received in error. She asked her father if he thought the elusive Louis Aubert, assuming he was a chemist, wanted the gold to use in an experiment.
“Very probable,” Mr. Drew answered.
Nancy’s father said he had news of his own. He had learned that Monsieur Leblanc had recently purchased a lot of uncut diamonds. “The reason is not clear,” Mr. Drew added. “It would not be feasible for him to have such a large quantity of stones cut for jewelry, and diamonds are certainly of no commercial value to him—they’re not used in his factory work as sharp drilling tools.”
Mr. Drew went on to say that Leblanc had served notice his factory was closing down in a month. “Of course his employees are in a dither.”
“That’s dreadful!” said Nancy. “Dad, what are you going to do?”
Mr. Drew sighed. “I don’t seem to be making much headway, but I have invited Monsieur Leblanc to luncheon today. I hope to find out something without his becoming suspicious.”
“Please let me know what happens,” Nancy
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