answered. Then she added quickly, “He ain’t
been on the river lately, though.”
Nancy was convinced Mrs. Hooper was not
telling the truth. “That’s a lovely shirt,” she went
on.
“Ain’t I got a right to have nice things, like
other folks?” the woman demanded defiantly.
“Why, certainly,” Nancy said evenly. But she
was still sure the shirt belonged to George.
“You must be another one of those snoopy
policewomen!” Teddy’s mother snapped. “Well,
I won’t talk to you!” She snatched the shirt from
the line and hurried into the house.
Nancy returned to the car and related the con-
versation to her father. “I must talk to Teddy
when we get back,” she added.
The Drews started for Hampton. An un-
expected detour extended the trip by many miles,
and a lunch with slow service delayed them. They
did not arrive until two-thirty at the Hampton
Motel.
“Meet me here at six, Nancy,” the lawyer said
and drove off.
The young detective decided there was no use
going to the usual places to make inquiries about
Juliana, since the police had investigated them
years ago.
“If Juliana wanted to live here incognito,
where would she go?” Nancy asked herself. She
felt that inconspicuous tourist homes might be
the answer.
She hurried to the Chamber of Commerce and
obtained a list of guesthouses. With the photo-
graph of Juliana for identification of the dancer,
she walked from one house to another. Some of
the owners recognized the woman in the picture,
but none had rented a room to her. Finally Nancy
rang the doorbell of the last place on her list.
After a few minutes a small, gray-haired woman
appeared.
“If you’re looking for a room, I’m afraid I’ll
have to disappoint you,” she said before Nancy
could speak. “I don’t take guests any more.”
“I don’t want a room,” Nancy replied with a
smile. “I came to ask about someone who might
have stayed with you at some time.” She showed
the photograph.
“Come in,” the woman said cordially. “I think
I can help you!”
Nancy’s heart leaped. Could it be true?
“I’m Mrs. Delbert,” the woman said as she led
her caller into a neat, old-fashioned living room.
“You are-?”
“Nancy Drew. I’m a stranger in Hampton.
What name did your guest give you?”
“Let me think. I remember now. She was Miss
Flower. Julia Flower. Is she a friend of yours?”
“Mrs. Delbert, it she really was the person in
this picture, she was a famous dancer who dis-
appeared ten years ago. I know her sister.”
It was Mrs. Delbert’s turn to look shocked.
“My, my!” she said. “How dreadful! It was ten
years ago that she was here.”
“Just one more question: Did Miss Flower say
where she was going after she left here?”
“Yes, she spoke of staying on a farm between
Hopewell and Plainville, but she didn’t tell me
the name of the people.”
“Is it far from here?” Nancy asked.
“About thirty miles. Miss Flower said she’d
take the bus and walk into the farm from the
main road. All she had was a purse and a small
suitcase.”
“You have a terrific memory,” Nancy said.
Mrs. Delbert smiled. “Julia Flower was the
most beautiful guest I ever had!”
Nancy got up and put an arm around the
woman. “Thank you so much,” she said. “You’ve
been a great help.” After saying good-by, Nancy
hurried back to the motel and told her father
what she had learned.
“You’ve done well. Nancy, and picked up an
excellent clue. You should have a reward for that
good bit of detecting.”
Nancy grinned. “As a reward, will you take me
to Plainville when you finish your work here?”
“Yes, indeed. I’ll be through by noon to-
morrow.”
The Drews checked out at twelve o’clock the
next day and drove toward Plainville. When they
came to Hopewell, Nancy suggested they inquire
at police headquarters about the missing dancer.
She spoke to a middle-aged sergeant and
showed him Juliana’s picture. He looked at it
thoughtfully and finally said:
“I don’t know that this will help you, but about
ten years ago another officer and I were called on