envelopes.”
“Just as long as I don’t have to lick them,” George said.
“I don’t mind at all.” Helping herself to a powdered-sugar doughnut, Bess sat down at the long table. “Barry’s the best-looking guy I’ve seen all day!”
A few hours, two doughnuts, and hundreds of envelopes later, Nancy was beginning to wonder if she’d ever get out of that room. Barry kept popping his head in, making sure they were doing okay, but he never once suggested that they take a break. It wasn’t really fair to keep Bess and George there so long, but since they hadn’t complained yet, Nancy decided to give it another half hour.
Ten minutes later Barry stuck his head around the door again. “Still going strong, I see.”
Bess stood up and stretched, giving him one of her brightest smiles. “We could go a lot stronger if we had a break, Barry. Don’t you think the help deserves a little time off?”
Barry looked surprised. “Well, sure, no problem. In fact, I have some hero sandwiches in the other room. Care to join me?”
“That sounds great,” Nancy told him, “but what we really need is a little exercise. Maybewe’ll just take a walk around the grounds, if that’s okay.”
“Fine. But take a couple of doughnuts for the dogs,” he said. “Feed them and they’re your friends. Otherwise, they tend to hold a grudge.”
After Barry left, Nancy counted to twenty. Then she left the library, followed by Bess and George. The three of them went down the hall, through what looked like a ballroom, and down another hall until they reached a back staircase. They took the stairs up to the third floor. At the end of a corridor was a narrow circular staircase.
“This has to be it,” Nancy said. “Come on, let’s get up to that tower room.”
The door to John Harrington’s tower office obviously hadn’t been opened in a long time. Its hinges creaked as Nancy pushed it, and when they went in, a musty smell almost knocked them over.
“Whatever you’re looking for, I hope you find it fast,” Bess said, fanning the air. “I don’t think I can breathe for long in here.”
“What are you looking for, anyway?” George asked.
“I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “Any clue. Something that will tell me what happened up here thirty years ago.”
As she talked, Nancy moved around the office pulling dustcovers off the furniture. She openedthe desk drawers, hoping something amazing would be there, but all she saw were papers, yellowed with age.
She was just about to give up when Bess called out. “Hey, look what I found!”
Turning, Nancy saw a panel in the wall slide open. She crossed the room and watched with Bess and George as a dumbwaiter rose creakily from the depths of the house.
“Really nice,” George commented. “Whenever John Harrington got hungry, he just sent down to the kitchen for a snack.”
“I should have known Harrington House would have one of these,” Nancy said.
By sitting bent at the waist, Nancy could fit inside the dumbwaiter and almost be comfortable. After climbing back out, she pushed the button on the wall and sent the dumbwaiter slowly back down. Before closing the panel, Nancy stuck her head in the shaft and looked around. Along the inside of the wall she saw a bunch of wires that weren’t connected to the dumbwaiter.
Nancy pushed the button again; the dumbwaiter started moving back up. Peering along the inside of the wall, Nancy saw that the wires led into the back of a black box. She pulled her head back in and walked down the room until she came to the spot on the wall where the box had to be.
“What is it, Nan?” Bess asked.
“I think it’s a tape recorder!” Nancy said, running her fingers along the wall. “Feel.”
The wall wasn’t completely solid, and behind a canvas covering painted to look like the rest of the paneling, Bess and George could feel the outlines of an open-reel recorder.
“Weird,” George said. “I wonder why he hid it.”
“I was
“Just as long as I don’t have to lick them,” George said.
“I don’t mind at all.” Helping herself to a powdered-sugar doughnut, Bess sat down at the long table. “Barry’s the best-looking guy I’ve seen all day!”
A few hours, two doughnuts, and hundreds of envelopes later, Nancy was beginning to wonder if she’d ever get out of that room. Barry kept popping his head in, making sure they were doing okay, but he never once suggested that they take a break. It wasn’t really fair to keep Bess and George there so long, but since they hadn’t complained yet, Nancy decided to give it another half hour.
Ten minutes later Barry stuck his head around the door again. “Still going strong, I see.”
Bess stood up and stretched, giving him one of her brightest smiles. “We could go a lot stronger if we had a break, Barry. Don’t you think the help deserves a little time off?”
Barry looked surprised. “Well, sure, no problem. In fact, I have some hero sandwiches in the other room. Care to join me?”
“That sounds great,” Nancy told him, “but what we really need is a little exercise. Maybewe’ll just take a walk around the grounds, if that’s okay.”
“Fine. But take a couple of doughnuts for the dogs,” he said. “Feed them and they’re your friends. Otherwise, they tend to hold a grudge.”
After Barry left, Nancy counted to twenty. Then she left the library, followed by Bess and George. The three of them went down the hall, through what looked like a ballroom, and down another hall until they reached a back staircase. They took the stairs up to the third floor. At the end of a corridor was a narrow circular staircase.
“This has to be it,” Nancy said. “Come on, let’s get up to that tower room.”
The door to John Harrington’s tower office obviously hadn’t been opened in a long time. Its hinges creaked as Nancy pushed it, and when they went in, a musty smell almost knocked them over.
“Whatever you’re looking for, I hope you find it fast,” Bess said, fanning the air. “I don’t think I can breathe for long in here.”
“What are you looking for, anyway?” George asked.
“I don’t know,” Nancy admitted. “Any clue. Something that will tell me what happened up here thirty years ago.”
As she talked, Nancy moved around the office pulling dustcovers off the furniture. She openedthe desk drawers, hoping something amazing would be there, but all she saw were papers, yellowed with age.
She was just about to give up when Bess called out. “Hey, look what I found!”
Turning, Nancy saw a panel in the wall slide open. She crossed the room and watched with Bess and George as a dumbwaiter rose creakily from the depths of the house.
“Really nice,” George commented. “Whenever John Harrington got hungry, he just sent down to the kitchen for a snack.”
“I should have known Harrington House would have one of these,” Nancy said.
By sitting bent at the waist, Nancy could fit inside the dumbwaiter and almost be comfortable. After climbing back out, she pushed the button on the wall and sent the dumbwaiter slowly back down. Before closing the panel, Nancy stuck her head in the shaft and looked around. Along the inside of the wall she saw a bunch of wires that weren’t connected to the dumbwaiter.
Nancy pushed the button again; the dumbwaiter started moving back up. Peering along the inside of the wall, Nancy saw that the wires led into the back of a black box. She pulled her head back in and walked down the room until she came to the spot on the wall where the box had to be.
“What is it, Nan?” Bess asked.
“I think it’s a tape recorder!” Nancy said, running her fingers along the wall. “Feel.”
The wall wasn’t completely solid, and behind a canvas covering painted to look like the rest of the paneling, Bess and George could feel the outlines of an open-reel recorder.
“Weird,” George said. “I wonder why he hid it.”
“I was
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