The Clue of the Broken Locket.

CHAPTER I.

Key to a Mystery.

As Nancy Drew seated herself at the breakfast table, she noticed a door key beside her plate. The attractive titian-haired girl looked up in surprise at her father, who had just pulled out his own chair.

"Is this for me?" she asked the tall, handsome attorney.

He smiled. "Nancy, that may be a key to a mystery."

"In our house?Or somewhere here in River Heights?"

Carson Drew shook his head. "At a cabin on Misty Lake, in Maryland. Would you like to go there and find out what has frightened a certain Mr. Winch?"

Nancy's blue eyes sparkled. The eighteen-year-old girl had already solved many mysteries for her father and at once was eager to take on a new one. She begged to hear more about it.

"I have a client," Mr. Drew began, "by the name of Lawrence Baker, who owns a summer cottage on Misty Lake. He is now in Europe. Before leaving, he arranged to rent his place for two weeks to a young woman from New Orleans, Cecily Curtis. Mr. Baker says she has an interesting story but did not tell me what it was. He asked if I would draw up the rent agreement." Mr. Drew paused, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, Dad!" Nancy laughed. "Please! Don't keep me in suspense!"

"Well, Miss Curtis was to pick up this key to the cottage from Henry Winch, who had agreed to keep an eye on the place. I understand he is quite a character-knows everyone and tells wonderful stories. He lives near there the year round in the rear of his small shop where he sells confectionery and fish bait!"

Nancy chuckled. "He does sound like a colorful character. Confectionery and bait make quite a combination!"

Her father explained that since it was the middle of September, there would probably be few vacationers at the lake. "I can't imagine why Cecily Curtis wants to stay there. If you meet her, Nancy, perhaps you can find out."

"I'm all set to go!" Nancy said eagerly. "Tell me more about Henry Winch and why he's so frightened."

"During the summer he rents out boats, as well as selling bait and candy. In winter he stores boats for the summer residents, is caretaker for their cottages, and does odd jobs for the villagers. He sent me this key to the Baker place, along with a note, but gave no hint as to what had frightened him. Look here."

The attorney reached into his pocket and brought out a plain piece of paper. He handed it to Nancy. The note read: Hire somebody else. I'm scared.

H. Winch

"This is all he wrote?" Nancy asked.

"Yes. Here's the problem. Cecily Curtis is to arrive at Misty Lake late tomorrow evening, but Mr. Winch apparently wants nothing to do with the cottage. I can't leave at the moment, so I thought you could drive down there with the key and open the cabin for Miss Curtis. I don't want you to go alone, though."

"Maybe Bess and George can join me!"

George Fayne and her cousin Bess Marvin had been friends of Nancy's for a long time. The three had shared many exciting adventures when mysteries had come their way. Bess had often remarked that Nancy was like honey with "the mystery bees swarming around her all the time."

This was true from the time she had helped her father solve The Secret of the Old Clock to her most recent challenge, deciphering The Password to Larkspur Lane.

Nancy hurried to the telephone and called the two girls. Fortunately, neither of them had special dates for the next few days and would be able to accompany Nancy. It was arranged that the trio would leave early that afternoon and drive at least partway to the lake.

By the time Nancy came back to the table, the Drews' motherly housekeeper was there and had already heard about Nancy's latest plans. Hannah Gruen had lived with the Drews since Nancy was three, when her mother had died. Nancy adored Hannah, who always did a great deal of worrying about her when she was working on a mystery.

"Is it okay with the girls?" Mr. Drew asked.

Nancy nodded. "George is keen about the idea."

"I'd expect that," Mr. Drew commented. "She's very level-headed and sensible." He chuckled. "I'll bet Bess is a little hesitant, though."

"Right," said Nancy, and smiled. "Bess always worries about the possibility of running into danger, but she's one of the world's best sports when the necessity arises."

Presently Mr. Drew said that he must hurry off to his office. He kissed Nancy and wished her luck. "I believe there's a nice guest house in the village of Misty Lake, about a mile from the water. You might stay there."

By two o'clock Nancy was packed and on her way to pick up Bess and George. First she stopped at the Marvin home and Bess came out carrying a suitcase. She was a very pretty blonde, inclined to be overweight. "Hi, Nance! I'm glad you put the top of your convertible down. It's a gorgeous day."

A few minutes later Nancy stopped for George Fayne. The slim, short-haired brunette with the boy's name came out of the house, vigorously swinging a small suitcase. She tossed it into the rear seat and climbed into the front beside the other two.

After greetings, she said, "Now, Nancy, give us the details on this case we're going to solve."

"First of all, there's a frightened caretaker," Nancy began, and quickly brought her friends up to date. Suddenly one of Bess's turquoise earrings fell into her lap.

"Oh, this old earring makes me so mad. It's always falling off."

"Why don't you tighten it?" George asked. She was apt to be impatient with her very feminine cousin. Bess adjusted the screw and slipped the earring back on.

Late in the afternoon the girls stopped at a motel for dinner and overnight. The following day, they continued on to Misty Lake. In the afternoon, as they came closer to their destination, the three began to do a lot of guessing about Mr. Winch and Cecily Curtis. Finally George declared that their theories probably were one hundred percent wrong.

Bess changed the subject by saying, "We don't know a thing about how good the food is in Misty Lake. Why don't we stop for an early supper?"

This was agreed upon and the girls began to watch for likely places. On the outskirts of a town called Brookville they came to an attractive restaurant, the White Mill. It was a remodeled mill, with a stream underneath part of it.

"This is charming," said Bess. "And look! The sign says fresh broiled lobster. Mmm!"

"That sounds good to me too," Nancy remarked.

She parked the car and the three girls went inside. A pleasant waitress who spoke in a soft drawl seated them and took their orders. "There'll be a twenty-minute wait for the lobster," she said. "Why don't you all go out and walk around the garden, then cross the bridge into the woods? It's really very lovely."

Nancy and her friends took the waitress's suggestion and went out the side door, which led into the garden. There was a profusion of many colors and varieties of chrysanthemums, late-blooming roses, and petunias. A path through the center of the garden led directly to a rustic white-painted bridge over a rushing stream.

"The bridge is quaint, but it looks rickety," said Bess.

"Oh, come on," George urged.

The girls, however, carefully crossed the bridge one by one and entered the woods.

Bess took a deep breath. "This smells heavenly!" she said in almost a whisper, as if she did not want to disturb any of the wildlife.

As the three friends advanced, they suddenly became aware of a young couple seated on a fallen log a little distance away. The girl, who had curly red hair, had a troubled look on her pretty face. Her fair-haired companion seemed vaguely familiar to the girls, but they were sure they had not met him. The couple, engrossed in conversation, did not notice the newcomers.

Nancy and the cousins quietly turned in another direction. Just as they were out of sight of the couple, the red-haired girl cried out, "Why can't you understand? I don't want to get married with a lawsuit hanging over our heads!"