Abandoning her automobile, Nancy Drew hurried across the road and without an instant’s hesitation plunged into the thicket where she had just caught a fleeting glimpse of a man she believed to be Jacob Aborn. She had acted upon the impulse of the moment, and had not stopped to consider what might be the outcome of her daring.

Fortunately, the man had failed to note the approach of Nancy’s roadster, and was unaware that he was being followed. Without turning his head or looking back, he trudged down a path which led deeper into the forest.

Although Nancy was unable to see the man’s face, she recalled the peculiar stoop of his shoulders and his manner of walking. There was no doubt in her mind as to his identity. Even had he not been carrying a small bundle, she would have been certain that it was Laura’s guardian.

“I wonder where he’s going with that package?” she questioned herself. “Here’s where I play sleuth and see what I can find out.”

Following at a safe distance, she managed to keep the man in sight. He walked swiftly through the timber. Once, however, as a stick crackled under Nancy’s feet, he turned and looked back. Only by quickly ducking behind a bush, did Nancy save herself from detection. Jacob Aborn listened intently for a moment, and then, muttering to himself, continued through the forest.

“I’d better be more careful if I don’t want to get caught,” Nancy warned herself.

After that she trailed Jacob Aborn more cautiously, keeping farther back. Where was the man going? Certainly not to his bungalow on the lake, for Laura had told her that was in the opposite direction.

Presently, Nancy saw him disappear behind a clump of bushes. When she reached the spot, the man had vanished. In vain she looked about in all directions. Jacob Aborn seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

“That’s strange,” she murmured. “I’m sure he came this way.”

It occurred to her that possibly the man had become aware that he was being followed and had hidden in the bushes to watch. The thought made Nancy uneasy, for she realized that unwittingly she might walk into a trap. While she was not exactly afraid of Jacob Aborn, she had no desire to have him learn that she was spying upon him.

Alert for possible danger, she moved forward with the utmost caution. She paused frequently to listen, but there was no sound in the bushes. What had become of Jacob Aborn?

With great caution the girl moved from one bush to another. She looked at all the trees in the vicinity, but not one of them hid the form of the man.

“Gracious! it looks as if he’d been swallowed alive,” thought the girl.

She examined the ground, almost expecting that there would be some cave or secret tunnel in that vicinity. But the ground was firm and in many places very rocky.

Not knowing what to think of the strange disappearance, she went forward slowly and cautiously, following the general direction the man had previously taken.

Then, unexpectedly, Nancy Drew plunged through the bushes and stepped out into a tiny clearing. To her amazement she saw before her a small bungalow which had fallen into a state of decay. The windows had all been boarded up, and the roof sagged. The yard was choked with weeds.

“One good gust of wind would blow the place over,” Nancy told herself. “This can’t be the Aborn bungalow where Laura lived with her guardian. I wonder who owns the place.”

She stood in the shadow of the trees, curiously surveying the structure. A suspicion began to creep into her mind. Was it possible that Jacob Aborn had entered the building? If not, what could have become of him? Nancy was certain that he was not in the forest, for there was no sound in the bushes.

“What would Jacob Aborn be doing here?” she wondered. “There’s something peculiar about it.”

Just then Nancy chanced to glance down toward the ground. Directly ahead, in the soft earth, she saw the print of a man’s shoe. Instantly, her suspicions were confirmed. She was firmly convinced that Jacob Aborn had come this way.

“I’ll just have a look at that bungalow,” she decided.

With a quick glance about to make certain that she was not being watched, Nancy hurried toward the cottage. As she approached, a large sign at the front of the building brought her up short.

The placard, which was printed in bold uneven letters, read:

Keep Off This Property.

Nancy studied the warning a trifle uncertainly, and then shrugged her shoulders.

“I’m not afraid! It will take more than a sign to scare me away!”

The bungalow appeared deserted, but Nancy suspected that Jacob Aborn was somewhere in the vicinity, for otherwise she could not account for his sudden disappearance. She must keep a sharp watch for danger, she told herself. It would not do to be caught spying. Laura had warned her that her guardian was a dangerous man when aroused.

Tiptoeing across the front porch, Nancy quietly tried the door. It was locked. Undaunted, she proceeded to the rear door and found that it was likewise securely fastened.

Although disappointed, she was unwilling to give up. Making a complete circuit of the bungalow, she saw a window from which several boards had fallen. Returning to the rear of the building, she found a small box and dragged it to a position directly beneath the window. By standing upon it, she would be able to peer into the bungalow.

With a last cautious glance in all directions, to assure herself that her actions had not been observed, Nancy Drew mounted the box. Pressing her face against the glass, she gazed inside. The room into which she looked was bare of furniture and covered with dust, but there was nothing unusual in its condition. Any house which had been deserted for several months would have appeared similar.

“I wish I could get inside,” Nancy thought.

She was about to climb down from the box when a strange feeling came over her. Though she had heard no sound, she sensed that unfriendly eyes were watching her every move.

Before she could turn around and look over her shoulder, a coarse, angry voice barked into her ear:

“What are you doing here?”

In surprise and fright, Nancy Drew nearly fell from the box.

She wheeled and faced Jacob Aborn.