“Even queens in my country are taught to be thrifty.” Mrs. Alexandra smiled. “Anna, bring out the porcelain bowls.”
“But, Madame-”
“Nancy is our friend, Anna,” she said irritably. “Your caution annoys me at times. You keep everything hidden because you are afraid we shall be robbed. Why, you even distrust my grandson!”
The maid bit her lip but made no reply. She went over to a carved mahogany chest, unlocked it with a huge brass key, then removed porcelain bowls, enamel figurines, and other treasures.
“Do not forget the Footman!” Mrs. Alexandra ordered. “Perhaps Nancy can guess his secret.”
Anna took out a rotund, lifelike figurine of porcelain. It stood about eight inches high and was unusual, but not as attractive as some of Mrs. Alexandra’s other treasures.
“This and my Easter egg are my most prized possessions,” the woman declared gaily. “The little statue looks like my own private footman at the palace. But also, he is special. Nancy, can you guess why?”
The girl shook her head, waiting expectantly.
“The figurine represents one of the most courageous of the court servants. My footman helped me escape during the Revolution. When I fled, I took this little object with me.”
“Is it your jewel box, Mrs. Alexandra?”
“Yes. Is it not clever? I shall now reveal to you how it opens.”
The woman reached for the small statue, but before she could show Nancy its secret, footsteps were heard on the staircase.
“Quick, Madame!” exclaimed Anna.
With amazing speed she snatched the Footman from Mrs. Alexandra and locked it in the chest, along with the other art treasures, then quickly hid the key under the rug.
“It is only Michael,” Mrs. Alexandra said, recognizing her grandson’s step.
“Nevertheless it is well that the treasures be kept out of sight,” Anna insisted soberly.
Michael did not enter, but went on to his own room. Nancy, not wanting to meet him, thanked Mrs. Alexandra and said good-by. But she determined to come again soon to find out if the Footman were the jewel box mentioned in the nightingale’s song.
As she was walking away from the house, Michael hurried after her. With flashing eyes, he confronted her.
“I heard you talking to my grandmother,” he stormed. “What’s the idea of coming here? First you left me stranded on Star Island-”
“That was none of my doing,” Nancy replied coldly. “I will say, though, that you deserved it.”
“And then you deliberately got rid of my dog! One of the neighbors told me!”
“Your dog attacked the letter carrier. Rudy’s been sent away for ten days’ observation.”
“If Rudy bit anyone, you probably made him do it!”
“How ridiculous!”
“I’ve caught on to the fact that you’re trying to turn everyone against me,” Michael went on, “especially Grandmother.”
“That isn’t true.”
The unpleasant man edged closer to Nancy. “If you come here again, you’ll get more than you bargained for!”
Before Nancy could voice an objection to his threat, he reentered the house, slamming the door behind him.
“I’ll come here as frequently as I wish!” Nancy thought angrily. “At least as long as Mrs. Alexandra wants me! He is the one who should be kept from the house. He isn’t bringing his grandmother any happiness, and I’m afraid she already has given him more money than she can afford.”
For the first time in her life Nancy regretted having solved a mystery. By finding Prince Michael and restoring him to his grandmother, Nancy feared she had only added to the unhappiness of the gracious former queen.
In returning home, she chose the familiar way, which led past Mr. Faber’s shop. While still some distance from it, she noticed a man walking toward her with short, quick steps. He resembled David Dorrance. Though the man glanced at her, he passed with no sign of recognition.
“That must be Dorrance’s double-the pickpocket!” Nancy thought excitedly.
She decided to follow him. The man did not pause until he reached the revolving doors of the Monroe office building.
Nancy quickened her pace. Suddenly the suspect halted. Half turning, but keeping his face slightly averted, he waved a white handkerchief.
“Wrong again!” Nancy thought in disgust, coming to a stop.
She recovered quickly from the unpleasant surprise and called Mr. Dorrance’s name. Instead of replying, the man went inside.
Disappointed, Nancy retraced her way down the street. She had gone only fifty feet when she saw Mr. Faber running in her direction.
“I’ve been robbed! The thief went this way!”
CHAPTER XIII
THE antique dealer paused as he recognized Nancy. He was so excited it was difficult to understand what he was saying. She gathered, however, that a few minutes earlier a valuable gold-and-enamel penknife had disappeared from his show counter.
Mr. Faber cried, “Never can I replace it!”
“How was it taken?” Nancy asked quickly.
“Several customers were in my shop. A fellow asked to see the penknife. He took so long to decide I waited on the others.”
Suddenly Mr. Faber pointed to a man who was coming out of a store across the street. “There he is now!”
The suspect resembled David Dorrance. This time Nancy had no doubt but that he was the long-sought pickpocket. Dorrance was some distance away in the Monroe Building.
“Mr. Faber, you must telephone the police!” Nancy advised. “I’ll trail the thief!”
She tried to cross the street, but the traffic was heavy. Nancy found herself stranded in a center safety zone. The man identified by Faber was still in sight, but before she could reach him, he leaped into a taxi.
“Wait!” Nancy shouted to the driver.
He did not hear her, but the passenger turned his head. Upon seeing Nancy, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and waved it! Then the taxi sped on.
Nancy was completely bewildered. “Dorrance could not have spent more than a few seconds in the office building,” she said to herself. “Why would he duck in and out so quickly? It doesn’t make sense.”
Many thoughts raced through her mind as she recrossed the street to Mr. Faber’s shop. She was convinced that Dorrance had not gone from one place to the other.
“They were two different men!” she said. “But they both waved handkerchiefs and they look alike and wear the same kind of clothes.”
Had the thief learned the method of identification that Dorrance used when seeing Nancy?
“That first man didn’t give me the signal right away,” she reflected. “So the second one must have been Dorrance.”
A police car rushed up to Mr. Faber’s shop. The elderly man was so upset he was glad to have Nancy tell the story. She started it by asking the two officers to go with her at once to the Monroe Building.
“We may not be too late to nab the thief, if a hunch of mine is correct,” she said.
They searched the building but without success. Discouraged, the three returned to the antique shop, where Faber described the stolen penknife.
“It was set with pearls,” he concluded.
“We’ll do what we can to locate it,” one of the policemen promised. “That pickpocket is slippery. We’ve had that apartment house on Water Street watched constantly, but no one resembling the thief has turned up yet.”
The following morning Nancy attended a final rehearsal of the fashion show. Early in the afternoon she arrived at the Woman’s Club for the first performance. Katherine, pale and nervous, came in a few minutes later, accompanied by Helen Archer.
“Did you bring the hair ornament?” Nancy asked.
“Safe and sound.” Helen laughed, producing the ruby-and-diamond piece.
With care Nancy put on the blue-flowered gown. The skirt with its short train swung gracefully to the floor.
“How do I look?” Nancy asked.