The Clue Of The Tapping Heels Part 15

As they entered the parking lot, the nurse suddenly exclaimed, "Nancy, there's the man who was looking for Miss Violette!"

"Where?"

Mrs. Bealing pointed him out. He had parked his red convertible and was now hurrying out to Main Street. Nancy dashed after the tall, handsome man and in a few moments caught up to him.

"Pardon me," she said, walking beside him, "but are you Mr. Toby Simpson?"

He looked at her in amazement, then said with a smile, "Yes, I am."

"You don't know me," Nancy said. "My name is Nancy Drew and I'm staying with the woman you call Miss Violette."

The actor stopped walking and stared at Nancy. "But how did you know-?"

"I don't blame you for being surprised," Nancy said, then quickly explained that Miss Carter had found out he had come to the house asking for Miss Violette.

By this time Mrs. Bealing had caught up to them, and Nancy introduced her. The actor smiled. "You're the woman who came to the door when I rang and said Miss Violette did not live there."

"That's right. I never heard Miss Carter's stage name."

Mr. Simpson said that back in the days when he had been in plays with her, she had insisted that no one call her by any name except Miss Violette. He had a.s.sumed that she had continued the custom.

An idea came to Nancy. She said to the actor, "If you're not busy this evening, I think it would be fun if you came to dinner at the house. We could let it be a complete surprise to Miss Carter."

The man's eyes lighted up. "I can't think of anything I'd rather do," he replied. "What time would you like me to get there?"

"Would seven o'clock be all right?" It occurred to Nancy that even if they had a simple dinner not much time was being allowed for its preparation.

"Seven o'clock will be fine. I'll be there and thank you very much."

"Then good-by for now," said Nancy.

She and Mrs. Bealing hurried off to the market. "This is very exciting," the nurse said. "Now all we need is to have the tapper show up and spoil the show. I can't understand why the police haven't rounded up somebody in this case. Well, what do you think we should have for dinner?"

"Steak is always safe," Nancy replied. "And how about a lemon meringue pie? I'll telephone Hannah and ask if she'll make one right away."

She dashed off to a street phone while Mrs. Bealing started to shop. It was nearly six o'clock by the time they reached home.

Bess, intrigued by the thought of a romantic meeting between Miss Violette and Toby Simpson, found it hard not to give away the secret. She and George had set the table. Flowers and candles gave it a very festive air. Hannah Gruen was just putting the meringue on the pie. She had also made a tasty-looking tossed salad with tomatoes and cuc.u.mbers.

"We'll start with melon," Nancy announced. "Then will come the steak, French fries, and string beans. Everybody can help prepare them for cooking."

Bess had gone upstairs and suggested that Miss Carter wear one of her most becoming dresses. "And I'll comb your hair in a modern style," she offered.

"What's going on?" the actress asked, a suspicious look coming into her eyes.

Bess did not answer directly. She said, "Don't you think we should celebrate selling all those cats and Nancy rescuing the last one?"

Miss Carter smiled. "I suppose we should." She pointed out a filmy pale-blue dress and Bess helped her put it on.

"You look darling," the girl said. Then she started working on the actress's fluffy gray hair. Within a few minutes Miss Carter's long hair was arranged in an attractive style.

As she looked in the mirror, the woman smiled. "I do look lovely, don't I?" A faraway expression came over her face. "Like I used to be when I played in The Dancer and the Fool."

Presently George came upstairs and together the two girls carried Miss Carter to the first floor. They had dimmed the lights in the dining room so she would not notice the extra place at the table. The girls sat down in the living room with her, while Mrs. Bealing and Hannah Gruen were putting the finishing touches on the meal.

At exactly seven o'clock the front doorbell rang. Nancy went to answer, followed by Bess and George. They had already decided that the meeting between Miss Carter and Mr. Simpson should take place alone in the living room.

When Nancy opened the door, she put one finger to her lips and merely said, "Won't you come in?"

Mr. Simpson, smiling, stepped into the hall. Nancy pointed out the doorway to the living room and motioned for him to go inside. The girls huddled together, waiting.

The next moment they heard a cry of delight from Miss Violette. "Toby! Toby! You've come back to me!"

"Yes, dear. It has been so many years. I lost complete track of you, but today I had a little luck, and thanks to your friend Nancy Drew, here I am."

There was a long silence and the girls figured the couple were having a loving embrace. A few minutes later Miss Carter called the girls inside.

She formally introduced Mr. Simpson, then asked for a complete explanation of the whole affair. Nancy quickly told the story, then the three girls said they must go out to the kitchen to help.

On the way, Bess whispered excitedly, "I'm so happy I could just burst!"

"I feel pretty good about the whole thing myself," George said.

When the girls entered the kitchen, Hannah and Mrs. Bealing wanted to know about the meeting between the actress and actor Whenthev heard it had been a happy one, both were pleased.

A little later, when everyone was seated at the table and grace had been said, Miss Carter told the others a little about her early life on the stage.

"Then finally I played opposite Toby and we began to date," she explained.

The actor had not taken his eyes from the woman and now he said, "I played the part of the fool in the story for so long I guess I just lived the part in my everyday life. In any case I was a fool to think my work was more important than marrying my leading lady."

Bess had been touched by the story and the meeting. Now she looked directly at the couple and said, "It's not too late!"

Her remark was so unexpected that there was dead silence for several seconds. Bess, embarra.s.sed, apologized profusely, but Toby smiled at her gratefully.

"You have said the very thing I wanted to," he told her and looked lovingly at Miss Carter. "As soon as you are well again, what say we try it?"

Everyone waited anxiously for her answer. Taking Toby Simpson's hand and kissing him on the cheek, she said, "I'll try it if you think I can be of help to you."

"Oh, you can!"

Now there was real rejoicing Everyone was so excited it was hard to settle down to the dinner in front of them.

But after a while the conversation got around to the reason Nancy and her friends had come to Miss Carter's house. Toby Simpson wanted to hear the story in detail. When Nancy revealed the fact that she suspected a young man named Gus Woonton, Mr. Simpson frowned.

"I once met a couple named Woonton," he said. "I believe they had a son Gus."

CHAPTER XII.