10 Password to Larkspur Lane

CHAPTER XII
The Crystal Garden
“BESS!” George exclaimed, horror-stricken.
“She’ll roll into the fire!”
Nancy scrambled down the hill, George
beside her. With a flying leap she threw
herself on Bess and stopped her from rolling.
At the same time, George skidded down and
caught one of her cousin’s flailing arms. The
girls lay gasping, only a few feet from the
drop-off and the bonfire below.
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“Bess,” Nancy whispered, “are you hurt?”

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“N-no,” Bess said shakily. “Oh, Nancy,
somebody pushed me! If you and George
hadn’t...”
Nancy looked grim. “I think someone
mistook you for me. And I don’t want him to
know he was wrong.”
As she spoke, three counselors hurried down
the hill toward them, calling, “What
happened? Anybody hurt?”
Nancy squeezed George’s hand. “We’ll
pretend I am,” she whispered, then closed her
eyes.
“Yes,” George called out. “Nancy Drew!
Please hurry. I’m afraid it’s bad.”
“She’s unconscious!” quavered Bess.

---

Moments later, a husky counselor was
carrying Nancy up the hill while one of his
companions ran ahead for the camp doctor.
“And get Ned Nickerson,” George called.
Forty minutes later Ned tenderly placed
Nancy on the Comings’ living-room couch as
Helen’s grandmother closed the draperies.
“Okay,” said Ned. “All clear.” Only then did
Nancy open her eyes and sit up.
“You’re some actress, young lady,” said Mr.
Corning.
Nancy smiled. “I didn’t have to do anything.
Ned and Bess and George were the real
actors.”

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Bess giggled. “And the camp director and the
doctor were good actors, too. Mr. Dennis
insisted that we use his station wagon to bring
Nancy home.”
“I just hope we fooled the one who pushed
Bess,” said Nancy.
“Morgan must have told the gang you were
here,” said George, “and one of them trailed
us to the camp, waiting for the opportune
moment to strike.”
Ned frowned. “Someone probably is still
watching this house. To make our act look
really good, we ought to call the doctor for
Nancy.”
Mrs. Corning hurried off to put in the call.
Soon she returned, and she reported that Dr.

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Bennett would be glad to cooperate.
Nancy chuckled. “We’ll make the gang think
I’m out of action. Then they’ll pay no more
attention to me and I can work freely.”
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George spoke up. “I have a suggestion. If
someone is watching this house, he’ll
probably plan to speak to Morgan. How
about Bess and me letting ourselves out the
back door and watching?”
“I’ll do it,” Ned offered.
“No,” Mr. Corning said. “That would look
too suspicious. I often take a little stroll
outside before going to bed. In a few minutes
one of you can follow me. While I’m out

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there no gangster will come to talk to Morgan
through the window.”
He waved aside objections and left the room.
His wife said worriedly, “Oh, I hope
everything will be all right. But suppose they
strike here tomorrow night?”
“I have a plan,” Nancy replied, “if Ned and
Burt and Dave will help us.”
“Sure we will,” said Ned. “It’s not our night
off, but I know three fellows who’ll switch
with us.”
“The thieves probably will go for the safe,”
said Bess.

---

Mrs. Coming shook her head. “I’m afraid
they’re after something very special. Come,”
she added, seeing the questioning expressions
of her guests, “I’ll show you.”
As their hostess led the way down the hall,
Nancy quietly outlined her plan to Ned. “I’ll
tell the others later.”
Across the hall from the kitchen, Mrs.
Coming opened a door and flicked a wall
switch. The room remained dark, but at the
far side a tall glass cabinet lighted up.
Bess gasped. “Oh, how beautiful!” She and
the others stared, amazed. Inside was a
sparkling array of crystal flowers and
butterflies set on shelves lined with black
velvet.

---

“My husband gave me one of each on our
wedding anniversaries,” Mrs. Corning
explained as she led them to the case. “They
are made in France. Every flower contains at
least one valuable jewel.”
Nancy noted a ruby glowing in the heart of a
rose and a topaz set in a daffodil. The
butterflies had diamonds for eyes.
“How could the thieves have heard about
these?” George asked.
“My crystal garden was written up in a
magazine some time ago,” Mrs. Corning
replied.
Nancy examined the case carefully. “Do you
have a key for this?”

---

57
Mrs. Corning showed her a tiny gold one
which she wore on a chain around her neck.
Just then the doctor arrived. He listened to the
story of what had happened, then went to
check on Morgan, who was much better.
When leaving, Dr. Bennett called back
through the open door for the benefit of any
outside listener. “Miss Drew must remain in
bed for at least forty-eight hours.”
Ned followed the doctor and went to join Mr.
Corning. Inside the house Nancy said to her
friends, “Dr. Bennett played his part well.”
Then she told them her plans for the next day.

---

Half an hour later Mr. Corning and Ned
reported no prowler near Morgan’s window.
Ned said good night and returned to Camp
Hiawatha.
Shortly before dawn, Nancy ate a light
breakfast, then slipped into the garage and hid
behind the front seat of her car. At eight
o’clock the other girls came out with a packet
of sandwiches. George took the wheel and
they drove off.
When she was sure they were not being
followed, George pulled to the side of the
road and Nancy took the driver’s seat.
“Now for the larkspur house!” she said
happily.
“But where is it?” Bess asked.

---

Nancy said that since the Tooker estate lay
southeast of River Heights and the pigeon
and airplane both flew over it, the other
headquarters were probably to the northwest.
“I’ll try that, anyway.”
After a while the road narrowed and there
were no houses to be seen. The countryside
was generously sprinkled with patches of
woodland and open fields.
The girls explored every side road. Most of
these were merely lumber trails which ended
within a short distance. At other times the
searchers found a cabin and inquired if there
was a sanatorium in the neighborhood. The
answer was always No, and again Nancy
would go on.

---

Stopping only to eat their sandwiches, the
girls rode all day, exploring the network of
winding lanes. All three were tired, their
nerves tense with the strain of being
constantly on the alert.
Finally Nancy glanced at the clock on the
dashboard. “Ten minutes past five,” she said.
“We’d better go back.”
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Nancy turned the car and began retracing the
route to the main highway. Suddenly she
pressed down on the brake and they stopped
short.
“Sorry,” Nancy said, “but we just passed a
sign that I didn’t see when we drove along

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here before.”
She backed a dozen feet and halted opposite a
narrow dirt road. Nailed to a tree was a crude,
hand-lettered board: L. S. LANE.
“What about it?” Bess asked. “That probably
leads to the cabin of a lumberman whose
name is L. S. Lane.”
“And on the other hand,” said Nancy, “it
could mean Larkspur Lane, and be a guide
for the crooks.”
“It’s worth investigating,” George remarked.
Nancy turned into the narrow roadway, wide
enough for only one car. But here and there
the side bank had been cut to allow a vehicle
to park while another passed it.

---

Proceeding cautiously over ruts and bumps,
Nancy presently pulled into one of the wider
places on the right. She stopped the car close
to the trees.
“This might be the right place, so we had
better go on foot,” Nancy said.
She led the way among the trees, keeping
parallel with the road. The girls trudged
through the underbrush for nearly a quarter of
a mile but saw nothing unusual. The only
sounds were the crackle of twigs breaking
underfoot.
Suddenly Nancy halted. “Look!” she
exclaimed softly. “Larkspur!”
A dozen yards ahead the trees ended. Just
beyond was a high wire-mesh fence. Inside it

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grew a long border of exquisite tall larkspur.
To the girls’ left a large gate across the lane
shut off the entrance to the grounds. Next to it
stood a small brown lodge.
“This is it!” Nancy whispered gleefully, and
her friends nodded.
Beyond the gate the ground sloped gently. A
gravel roadway led to the top of the rise,
where a large white colonial dwelling with a
broad veranda was visible among some trees.
“It’s a beautiful place,” Bess said in a low
voice. “I can’t believe crooks live here.”
“We’ll soon find out,” said Nancy.
59

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Cautiously the three girls moved forward,
taking advantage of every tree trunk and bush
for concealment. There was no sign of
habitation. If anyone was inside the
gatehouse, he was not to be seen at the
moment. Then, for an instant, a flash of white
appeared in the distance near the brow of the
hill.
“Did you see that?” George whispered
tensely. “I’m sure it was a nurse’s uniform.”
“Listen! Do you hear a plane?” Nancy asked.
The girls peered upward. Several minutes
passed before the aircraft became visible.
Then it shot overhead, flying low.
“It’s the same type plane that wounded the
bird!” Nancy said quickly. “And it’s like the

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one the hotel manager said flew into the
Tooker estate. ... Yes, there is that flying horse
on the fuselage. This is the place!”
“Sure enough,” said George. “Down he goes.
The landing field must be behind the house.”
The plane dipped low, lost altitude rapidly,
and vanished behind the roof of the mansion.
“Now what do we do?” Bess asked.
“There is only one thing left,” Nancy
answered. “Somehow we must get inside!”

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