"I'll go." Nancy got out of the car and went up to the front door. Her ring was answered by a short, burly man with heavy black hair.

"Mr. Driscoll?" Nancy asked pleasantly. "Do you own this house?"

"No. I rent it. What's that to you?"

"It's so attractive, we girls thought we would like to look around the grounds a little. Do you mind?"

"Yes, I do," the man said in a surly tone. "Get out of here and don't return!"

Nancy was taken aback. She did not argue and turned away, deciding that they had better not tarry. What was the reason for the man's belligerence? "Very odd," she mused, "to act like that. Could he possibly be responsible for Cecily's injury or know about it?"

"Get out of here and don't return!"

As she drove off, Nancy explained to the girls what the man had said and her suspicions. Cecily looked worried. "Oh, dear! How am I ever going to hunt there for the iron bird if we're not to be allowed on the property? It might even be in the house."

George grinned. "Nancy will think of a way, I promise you that!"

The others laughed and then became quiet until they reached town. Here the girls separated. George offered to go and order bottled gas from the fuel company. Cecily went to telephone Niko. Nancy and Bess headed toward the general store to shop for supplies.

The proprietor, Mr. Joplin, was an inquisitive person. "You're newcomers around here," he said.

"Yes, we are," Nancy answered. She introduced herself and Bess. Noticing two other men in the store, she felt it wiser not to give any more details.

Bess, however, was not so cautious. She blurted out that the four girls were staying in the Baker cottage, and that it certainly was a scary place. At this remark one of the two men, tall and pale with hard eyes, stared intently at the girls.

The shopkeeper chuckled. "You mean you've been scared by the loons?"

"Yes, and-" Nancy squeezed Bess's arm so she would say no more.

Nancy was about to begin her shopping when the heavy-set customer came over to the girls.

"Are you Carson Drew's daughter Nancy?" he asked.

When Nancy nodded, he added, "Sure pleased to meet such a famous young detective. I'm Henry Winch. I mailed the cottage key to your father so I suppose he sent you here with it."

"That's right." Just then the young sleuth noticed the tall, thin man gazing at her with narrowed eyes. He turned abruptly and left the shop.

"Who was that man?" Nancy asked.

Both the proprietor and Henry Winch said they did not know. It was the first time he had been in the store.

The girls asked Mr. Winch about the phantom launch. He proved to be talkative, and vividly described the ghostly craft.

"The old boat drifts along in the mist," Winch went on, "and then when it reaches the spot where it's supposed to have gone down, it vanishes." The caretaker shuddered. "Started a couple o' weeks ago. Summer folks began leavin' earlier than usual. If they're scared to come back next season I'll lose business. I'm thinkin' of sellin' out and goin' back to my brother's-to stay."

Nancy and Bess, although sympathetic, did not comment. They quickly purchased the items they needed, then said good-by and left.

They met George and Cecily at the car. George announced the bottled gas would be delivered soon. Also, she had stopped at Mrs. Hosking's to inquire about Pudding Stone Lodge. She learned that it belonged to the Kenneth Wayne family of Baltimore, who had rented the house early in the summer to two brothers named Driscoll.

"Oh, I must telephone the Waynes right away!" said Cecily. She told the others she had not been able to get hold of Niko either at his hotel or the theater where he was playing. "I did leave word I was at the cottage with friends," she said, and sighed. "Oh, I just hope he isn't too upset!"

Cecily hurried off to telephone the Waynes, and Nancy went to call her father. She learned that he would be away on a business trip for a couple of weeks and wished her luck in the mysteries.

"But don't take unnecessary chances," Mr. Drew cautioned.

"I'll do my best not to," Nancy replied. "Good-by, Dad, and lots of luck to you too."

Cecily reported that she had been unable to get an answer to her phone call. The girls climbed into Nancy's convertible and headed back to the cottage. As they reached the end of the lane a man suddenly stepped into the road, directly in their path. He was the tall, thin man from the general store!

He held up his hand and ordered, "Stop!"

Nancy had no choice but to obey. To the girls' surprise, the thin man smiled at them and came up to the car. "Don't be worried," he said. "I'm Karl Driscoll. I heard my brother Vince ordered you off our property and I came to apologize. There's no reason why you girls shouldn't look around the grounds. You're welcome any time."

He smirked and went on, "I have a hunch you're not just sightseers. You looking for something?"

Nancy would have preferred that the girls say nothing, but Cecily spoke up eagerly. "Yes, I'm looking for an iron bird. I have no idea what it looks like, and I'm not sure whether the lodge is the place for me to search. My ancestors once lived in a similar house, though, and I'm curious to find out if this is the one."

Karl Driscoll showed great interest. "An iron bird, eh? Sounds unusual," he said. "I wish I could help you, but I haven't seen any such bird around since we rented the place. I'll keep a look-out, though."

He said he must be leaving and walked off toward Pudding Stone Lodge. Nancy had a sudden hunch that he would search for the iron bird himself-that he probably suspected there was more to the whole story than Cecily had revealed.

"What do you make of all that?" George asked with suspicion in her tone. "One brother is surly and the other goes out of his way to apologize."

"It is strange," Nancy admitted. "I think we should take advantage of Karl Driscoll's offer and inspect the grounds very soon."

Cecily was eager to do so and it was decided that they would go directly after luncheon. Back at the cottage, the girls were delighted to find that bottled gas had been delivered.

"Oh boy, hot water!" Bess exclaimed. "Me for a relaxing bath."

"Not now," George said. "Sleuthing comes first."

The girls had a quick lunch and directly afterward put on hiking clothes and shoes and started up the lake path to Pudding Stone Lodge. From boundary markers they discovered that the property was very large. Their search went on all afternoon, both in the vicinity of the stone house itself and over the grounds. There was no sign of an iron bird.

Finally Bess suggested they give up. "I'm so tired I could break into pieces," she said. "Let's go back to the cottage."

Though disappointed, the others agreed. They luxuriated in hot baths, rested for a little while, and then had supper. Afterward, Cecily proposed that they go to town. "I'd like to try telephoning Niko and the Waynes again."

At seven o'clock they set off for the village. All the stores were closed with the exception of Eddie's Soda Shop.

As Cecily went into a phone booth, the other girls engaged Eddie in conversation. They learned he was a newcomer in town but was doing very well.

"People around here must like ice cream," Bess remarked.

"They sure do. In fact, people come from miles away to get my ice cream. It's good as homemade."

"In that case, I can't resist a double helping," Bess said with a giggle.