The Secret of the Wooden Lady Read Online Free PDF

be the captain’s ward obe, she thought, as she tried to force the doo pen. It would not budge.
    She could hear the intruder moving quickl bout the cabin, upsetting things, careless nov of the noise he made. If only she could catch limpse of him!
    Nancy put her eye close to the keyhole, but th they was in the lock and she could see nothing bu glint of light. She began a careful search of th toor panels for some tiny crack through whic he might watch the man’s movements.
    At last she found one—a small hole halfway u he right panel where someone had driven a nai Nancy glued her eye to the tiny opening an waited with bated breath for the prowler to cross her line of vision. When he did, Nancy gave a little gasp.
    Grizzle Face!
    He had a chisel in his hand and began forcing the lock of one of the desk drawers. The fine wood splintered. Seizing the drawer, the man dumped its contents upon the floor. Then he did the same to the other two drawers. What was it he hoped to find?
    Whatever the sailor wanted, it was not in the drawer. He abandoned the heap of things he had dumped out and began to explore the polished oak wall next to it. His big hands passed quickly over the wood, pressing here and there. Was he looking for a secret spring which would open one of the panels?
    Then, as suddenly as he had come, Grizzle Face left. The cabin was silent. Nancy waited, wondering if he would return. Perhaps he had gone for an accomplice.
    “Or he’s searching in another part of the ship,” she said to herself.
    Once more Nancy tried to force the door. It was heavy, and her only reward was a bruised shoulder. The air was becoming bad, too.
    In a moment she sighed with relief. She had heard two familiar voices. Bess and George were coming down the companionway! She shouted and pounded on the wardrobe door.
    “Nancy!” Bess cried in a panic. “Where are you?”
    “I’m locked in the wardrobe,” Nancy answered, but George had already turned the key to let her out.
    “Hypers!” George breathed. “Who locked you in here?”
    “Grizzle Face, and look what he did to Captain Easterly’s desk!” Nancy said, pointing to the heap of assorted articles from the drawers. “He’s searching desperately for something—he even felt along the wall as if he hoped to find a secret panel.”
    Nancy said she was sure he had been frightened off the clipper by the approach of the cousins.
    “Then why didn’t we see him?” Bess countered, edging toward the door.
    Nancy reminded her of the mysterious exit of the old fellow that morning. He had probably left the same way.
    “And I’m going to find out where the place is,” Nancy determined.
    “Not now,” George suggested. “Let’s investigate this cabin. Do you suppose there is a secret panel?”
    “Oh, come on,” Bess pleaded. “We can return in the morning, and Captain Easterly will be here to protect us,” she urged.
    “Why don’t you go ashore and wait?” George suggested. “Nancy and I want to see if there’s anything to this secret-panel idea.”
    Bess hesitated. She did not want to stay on the clipper, yet she did not like the idea of being thought a poor sport. Suddenly she had an idea. She would ask the dock guard to come aboard. Without telling the others her plan, Bess left the cabin.
    George and Nancy continued their search. George had taken off one of her sandals and was tapping along the wall with it.
    Bess had been gone only a minute when there came a bloodcurdling scream. Nancy and George rushed into the passageway and around a corner. Bess was huddled against the wall, shivering with fright.
    “Oh, Nancy,” she whispered, “a head came right up through the floor!”
    “What?” George exclaimed in disbelief,
    “It did. I saw it.”
    “Where did you see it, Bess?” Nancy asked quietly.
    “Down there, in the middle of the passageway.” Bess pointed a shaking finger.
    Nancy and George went to the spot and bent over to examine the floor. Nancy discovered a