Important Identification

“THE warning! ” Nancy exclaimed. “Oh, what if A. H. is inside the cave! ”

“If he is, ” Ned said grimly, “we’re too late to save him! ”

Fearfully he and Nancy watched as water began to boil from the entrance. A box floated clear, but to their relief, no body or overturned boat was washed from the cave.

Convinced that A. H. could not have been drowned by the rushing water, Nancy sighed in relief.

“Let’s climb the cliff, ” she suggested, “and talk to the man with the telescope. He may be able to answer a lot of questions about this place.”

Ned anchored the boat, and the couple waded ashore. They climbed the rocks, using the path up which Nancy had gone before. But when they reached the top, the man had disappeared. They walked around a while, and peered into the cottage, but he did not return.

“Show me the place where you went to sleep that time, ” Ned suggested.

Nancy ran ahead, searching for the exact spot. When she thought she had located it, the young detective waited for Ned. Presently she began to feel dizzy. The blue sky above became misty, as if a film had dropped over her eyes. Vaguely she recalled that the same symptoms had overtaken her the first day she had visited the cliff.

“Ned! ” she called in a weak voice. “Ned! ”

He ran quickly toward her. One glance at Nancy’s face told him something was seriously wrong.

“It’s probably the climb, ” he said solicitously. “I’ll carry you to the beach and you’ll feel okay.”

He lifted her from the ground and worked his way down the steep slope. By the time they reached the beach, Nancy seemed better.

“I don’t know what came over me, ” she apologized, deeply embarrassed. “I’ve never had spells like this before! ”

Ned insisted upon their going home at once so she could rest. But after he had left Mrs. Chantrey’s, Nancy subjected herself to a severe athletic test. She raced up- and downstairs four times without pausing. George and Bess, who entered the house, stared at her in amazement.

“I’m not crazy! ” Nancy said, laughing. “I’m only trying to determine if I get fainting or dizzy spells after strenuous exertion.”

“You could be a star athlete! ” George retorted. ”Why, you’re not even breathing very hard.”

“I feel fine! ” Nancy laughed. “This test certainly proves I’m all right. But there was something queer about the way I nearly fainted today while on Bald Head Cliff! When I was up there I became very drowsy—almost as if I’d been drugged! ”

“Have you any theory about it? ” George asked.

“Do you suppose, ” Nancy said, “that some gas could have escaped from crevices in the rocks where I was standing? ”

“Did you smell anything unusual? ” Bess put in.

Nancy said she had not noted any strange odor other than a sweet one like that of the wild flowers on the cliff.

Later that afternoon, at Nancy’s suggestion, the three girls called upon Mother Mathilda.

“I want to ask her if she knows anything about the cliff that might throw some light on my experience, ” she said.

To the disappointment of Nancy and her friends the woman could offer no explanation. So far as she knew, no gases or fumes had ever exuded from crevices in the rocks.

“I’m glad you dropped in, ” the elderly candlemaker said. “When you were here the other day, I forgot to tell you about Amy Maguire.”

“You mean the daughter of the Maguires who lived on the cliff? ” Nancy inquired.

“Yes. She was an adopted daughter. Amy turned out to be a wild one. As long as Grandpa Maguire was alive she behaved herself pretty well. After his passing, she made her Ma a heap o’ trouble, running off to marry a no-good.”

“Someone you know? ”

“No, and I never did hear his name, nor what became of the couple. But I know her Ma was heartbroken, and her Pa took it kind of hard, too. They never mixed with other folks after that.”

“What a shame! ” Bess commented.

As the girls rose to leave, the woman timidly inquired if any progress had been made in tracing Monsieur Pappier, the Mon Coeur stock swindler.

Nancy assured her that Mr. Drew was working on the case. “We are hoping that both he and Madame will be caught within the next few days, ” she added.

“I hope, ” said Mother Mathilda, “that he’s sent to jail for at least twenty years! And that she’s punished, tool Will I get my money back, do you think, or will the scamps have spent it? ”

“No one can tell that until the swindlers are caught. But let’s hope you’ll recover a good part of it.”

Nancy’s words cheered the woman. Grateful to the girls for taking so much interest in her troubled affairs, she insisted upon presenting each of them with four delicately perfumed candles.

“I used good perfume this time, and the entire batch turned out perfectly, ” she declared proudly.

A little later, at the Chantrey home, Nancy learned from June Barber that during her absence she had received a telephone call from Yorktown. Knowing that it was from her father, she stayed indoors for the next hour, and as she had expected, he telephoned her again.

“Nancy, I’ve been trying to get you, ” he began in an excited voice. “Can you come to Yorktown right away? ”

“Certainly, Dad, ” she replied.

“Good! ” the lawyer declared. “The police are holding a woman who may be the seller of Mon Coeur perfume. You’re needed to identify her.”

“I’ll come as fast as I can, ” Nancy promised.

She explained the purpose of her trip to George and Bess. Then she headed her convertible toward Yorktown, maintaining the maximum speed allowed. When Nancy reached the town, she went directly to police headquarters.

As she entered the building the young detective saw her father talking to the desk sergeant. Seeing her, Mr. Drew rushed across the room.

“I’m glad you’re here, Nancy! ” he exclaimed. “If you’re able to identify the prisoner we may crack the case! ”

“Where is the woman, Dad? ”

“She’s in a cell now. But you’ll have to select her from a lineup. Think you can do it? ”

“I’ll try.”

“The woman will not be wearing a costume, which may confuse you, ” Mr. Drew warned. “You’ll be given only one chance to identify her. If you fail, she’ll be released.”

“If I’ve ever seen the woman before, I’ll recognize her, ” Nancy said quietly. “Tell the police I’m ready.”