At breakfast the following morning, Nancy Drew was gratified to observe that Laura Pendleton appeared happier and less nervous than on the night before. A little color had crept into her thin cheeks, and in the bright gown which Nancy had loaned her, she looked like a different girl.

“Did you sleep well?” Nancy inquired, as the two sat down at the breakfast table.

“Much better than I have for the past week. I guess I can’t help worrying about things.”

“You have a great deal to trouble you, Laura,” Nancy said quietly, after Hannah had deposited a plate of waffles before the girls and had returned to the kitchen. “I’ve been thinking about what you told me last night, trying to find a way to help you.”

“I was overwrought, Nancy. I shouldn’t have inflicted my trouble upon you.”

“Laura, don’t you understand that you’re not inflicting anything upon me?” Nancy questioned gently. “I owe you a debt greater than I can pay. You’re welcome to remain here as long as you will. And I believe I know of a way to help you. You haven’t changed your mind about going back to live with your guardian?”

“Oh, no! I will not go back unless I’m forced to it.”

“Good! Then I’ll tell you of my plan. I am anxious to talk with your guardian again. You write a letter to him and I’ll deliver it. That will give me my chance.”

“Aren’t you afraid to go near him?”

Nancy shook her head.

“He may harm you.”

“He wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, you don’t know that man, Nancy! If he thinks you helped me escape, he may do anything!”

“He’ll not learn anything from me, Laura, and by talking with him I may learn something important. Will you write the note?”

“Yes, if you’re determined to go through with it.”

“It’s the only way I know of meeting him again, Laura!”

“But the risk!”

“I don’t believe I’ll be in any real danger.”

“Jacob Aborn’s cottage is located in such an isolated spot, Nancy. If anything should happen to you, there would be no one to help you.”

“I’ll be cautious.”

“There’s another reason I hate to have you go,” Laura added, with a troubled frown. “I’m afraid my guardian will find out where I am staying. Then he’ll come after me.”

“I’ll take care that Mr. Aborn doesn’t learn you’re staying with me.”

“When do you want me to write the letter, Nancy?”

“Any time this morning. I’ll wait until afternoon before I start for Melrose Lake. That will give the roads a chance to dry.”

The two girls finished their breakfast and then went to the study, where Nancy helped Laura compose the letter to Jacob Aborn.

“What shall I say?” Laura questioned.

“Tell him that you refuse to accept him as your guardian,” Nancy dictated, “and that you will not return until you have a court order. Oh, yes, it might be well to add that you’ve placed the matter in the hands of a lawyer. That’s really the truth, because I know father will take your case just as soon as he gets back from St. Louis.”

“Jacob Aborn will just go wild when he gets this letter!”

“Let him. I’m curious to see how he will react.”

“How about the jewels I brought with me? Shall I put them in the safe now?”

“Yes, we’ll do it right away. They’re probably safe enough in the house, but we’ll take no chances.”

Laura hurried upstairs and soon returned with a small parcel which she handed to Nancy. The latter opened the wall safe, and after placing the package inside the tiny vault closed the door and turned the dial.

“Father and I are the only persons who have the combination,” she explained to Laura, “so I know your jewels will be perfectly safe.”

Directly after luncheon, Nancy Drew prepared to depart on her mission. Somewhat reluctantly, Laura said goodbye, and it was evident that she was afraid to have her friend visit Jacob Aborn.

“Do be careful,” she warned.

“I will,” Nancy promised.

“When shall I look for you back?”

“Oh, late this afternoon or early tonight. I’ll make the trip as quickly as I can, but I imagine the roads will be rough and that will slow me down some. If anything should happen that I can’t get back tonight, I’ll telephone.”

“I’ll worry every minute you’re away.”

“You mustn’t do that,” Nancy chided her. “Try to enjoy yourself. You’ll find a number of interesting books in the library, and if you want anything just ask Hannah.”

“I will,” Laura returned soberly.

“Then I’m off!”

With a friendly wave of her hand, Nancy Drew guided the roadster down the driveway. After weaving her way through city traffic, she reached the outskirts and took the road to Melrose Lake.

“Poor Laura!” she thought as she drove along. “She’s so nervous and worn out. I don’t wonder, when she has so much to bother her. I hope I can help.”

As Nancy Drew considered Jacob Aborn’s strange attitude toward his ward, a troubled look came into her eyes. She could not understand the man’s unkindness to Laura, for certainly she was a lovable girl. And was it really true that the Pendleton estate had dwindled to a paltry fifteen thousand dollars?

“I intend to find out for myself, if I can,” she told herself resolutely. “It strikes me there’s something rather peculiar going on at Jacob Aborn’s bungalow.”

Aside from her desire to help Laura, the girl’s problem had caught Nancy’s interest. She had taken a dislike to Jacob Aborn the first time she had met him, and had sensed his eagerness to get Laura to his bungalow at Melrose Lake. Even before she had learned what had happened there, she had been suspicious of the man. His bad manners and occasional slips of grammar puzzled her a bit.

“There’s something strange about those midnight excursions of his, too,” Nancy thought. “I wonder what he carries in the bundle Laura was telling me about.”

In spite of her eagerness to reach the bungalow, Nancy Drew was forced to travel slowly, for although the road was practically dry, it was extremely rough. She jounced about uncomfortably in the seat.

After a time she came to the Melrose Lake detour. As she turned down into the narrow, winding road, she found it necessary to go even more slowly. Few automobiles had passed over the road, and it was in worse condition than the one she had just left. In places where a canopy of trees prevented the rays of the sun from striking, the ground was still wet.

“At least I won’t need to worry about getting the car splashed,” Nancy chuckled.

The blue roadster was blue in name only, for the mud of the day before still clung to it. There had been no time between trips to have it washed.

Presently Nancy approached the spot where the pine tree had fallen, and to her satisfaction she saw that it had been pulled to one side so that the road was no longer obstructed.

Now, as she drew near the turnoff which she must take in order to reach the Aborn bungalow, she drove more slowly, lest she inadvertently miss it. Sighting the road, she turned into it.

She had gone but a few rods when she chanced to look toward the right. Through the trees, she caught a glimpse of a man walking rapidly away from the road. He carried a small bundle under his arm.

“Jacob Aborn!” Nancy exclaimed.

Impulsively, she switched off the motor of her roadster and sprang to the ground.