Chapter XVI: More Precious Than Jewels

At the very moment that Peggy was lying terror-stricken at the feet of the mummies Dr. Blackwell had just made an alarming discovery.

He had been wakened from a deep peaceful sleep by the sound of vigorous knocking on the outer door and had quickly scrambled out of bed and into his clothes. He well knew that this knocking meant that someone was in distress and needed his professional services. Louder and louder had come the sound. Fearing that everyone in the house would be awakened, he had hurried down to answer the door.

When he had not seen Florence at the head of the stairs, waiting to bolt the door as usual, he had gone to her room and found it empty and the beds undisturbed. Immediately he had run from room to room, calling the girls, but had heard only the echoes of his own worried voice. All three girls had utterly disappeared!

A terrible fear swept over him—they had been kidnaped! But no, that was impossible, he told himself the next moment. Three strong, healthy girls could not be carried off without making a sound.

What should he do? Call the police? Something must be done immediately, but there was so much red tape connected with governmental affairs in this country that it would be hours before anything could be done. Perhaps it would be better to call his good friend Señor Rodriguez. He would advise him the best steps to take.

Quickly, his hand shaking so he could scarcely write, he scribbled a note to the Señor. It was almost illegible, but the words, “Come at once” were plain, and that was all that was necessary.

Rushing down the stairs, he hurried past the man waiting at the door, without speaking. The man stared after him in blank amazement. What was the matter? Was the _Doctor Americano loco_?

On across the street ran Dr. Blackwell to the corner of the Plaza, where a taxi could be found at any hour of the day or night.

He shook the sleeping taxi driver by the shoulder. “_Hombre, hombre_, wake up! Take this letter to the Señor Rodriguez and bring him back with you. _Muy pronto, sabe?_”

The lazy, easy-going Mexican straightened in surprise. He had carried this American doctor on many an urgent call, but he had never seen him so nervous and excited before. This must be something very important. Very well, he would show _el doctor_ how he could hurry. There was a roar, the grinding of gears, and the car was off like a shot.

In an amazingly short time Señor Rodriguez rushed into the office. He found Dr. Blackwell slumped in a chair, his face in his hands.

“Doctor, what has happened? What is the matter?” he asked in Spanish.

In a few halting words Dr. Blackwell told him of the girls’ disappearance. “What shall I do, señor?” he ended, his voice vibrant with emotion.

Before the amazed Señor could take in the situation and answer this question, there was the sound of light, flying feet on the balcony floor.

The next moment, after one swift glance at her father, Florence dropped on her knees at his feet, exclaiming, “Daddy! Are you sick?”

Startled at the sound of her voice, Dr. Blackwell almost jumped out of his chair. “Florence!” he cried. “Florence!”

“What’s the matter, Daddy?” she asked anxiously.

In the moment of silence that followed her question she turned to Señor Rodriguez. “Tell me what’s happened, señor.”

“Where’d you come from?” Dr. Blackwell put in before the Señor could speak. “How’d you get here? Oh, child, I’ve been so frightened and worried! I thought something terrible had happened to you and the girls. Where are they?”

“Right here,” answered Jo Ann, who had just come running in with Peggy. “Don’t—blame Florence—it’s really—all my fault.”

“Why, Dad, there’s nothing the matter with us—we’re all right,” said Florence, rising. “We just went up on the roof and——”

“What _are_ you girls talking about?” he demanded, noticing for the first time their disreputable appearance—their grimy faces, Jo’s bloodstained shirt, and their knickers. “What have you been doing?”

“We’ve been solving the mystery,” eagerly explained Florence.

“What mystery?”

“Why, the mystery of that strange little window in the back of the house.”

“But how did you get out of the house without unbolting the door? You know better than to go out at this hour of night.”

“Don’t scold, Dad,” begged Florence. “We haven’t been down on the street. We climbed through the little window and found a tunnel under the street.”

“A tunnel!” he repeated, bewildered. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“Why, there’s a long tunnel that starts under the back of our house and goes under the street, clear to the church—and I don’t know how much farther—there’s a regular network of passages, and——”

While Florence stopped to catch her breath, her father turned to Señor Rodriguez. “Do you know anything about a tunnel under the street?”

Señor Rodriguez shook his head, a puzzled expression on his face.

By that time Florence had started talking again, her words tumbling over each other in her hurry. “And we’ve found lots of valuable things—candelabra—old papers—and jewels! Real jewels! Diamonds—rubies. Open the box, Jo, and show them!”

With fingers fumbling in her haste Jo Ann was already untying the string about the box. Her eyes shining, she turned its contents upon a chair in front of Dr. Blackwell. Under the bright lights the jewels sparkled far more brilliantly than they had in the tunnel.

In the silence that followed, the three girls waited breathlessly. What would Dr. Blackwell and the Señor say about their discovery? Would they be forgiven now for the anxiety they had caused?

After a long pause Dr. Blackwell gently pulled Florence down on the arm of his chair. “They’re beautiful,” he said, “but I shudder to think of the risks you three took to get them—of what might have happened to you. No one would ever have known where you were. I’m so thankful to have you all back safe and sound. You’re far more precious to me than these jewels.”

“Oh, but, doctor, it wasn’t as dangerous as it sounds,” put in Jo Ann eagerly. “We were very careful.” Recalling some of her moments of anxiety in the past few hours, she hesitated and added a little less confidently, “Perhaps it was more dangerous than we realized, but we’re all right now, and we wanted so badly to solve the mystery of that window and to surprise you.”

A smile passed over Dr. Blackwell’s face. “You surprised me all right.”

Encouraged by this change of expression on the doctor’s face, Jo Ann went on, “I’m sorry you were worried. We thought we’d get back before you discovered we were gone. You’ll forgive us, won’t you?”

“Yes,” Dr. Blackwell replied slowly, “provided you all promise never to risk your precious lives that way again.”

“Oh, we’ll promise that, won’t we, girls?”

Florence and Peggy nodded an emphatic assent.

With a wave of her hand toward the jewels Jo Ann added, “Now that we’ve explored that tunnel and found all these, we’re satisfied.” She turned then and handed Señor Rodriguez the old yellowed papers. “I’m sure you’ll be interested in these papers. They look like old records.”

Curiously the Señor unrolled one of the old documents and began reading it. Soon he was poring over them, oblivious of everything else.

In the meanwhile the girls examined the jewels more closely and reveled in their beauty.

Dr. Blackwell interrupted their chatter finally, saying, “I haven’t been able to piece together all your disjointed account of your adventures. Suppose you begin at the first, Jo, since you were the originator of the whole thing, and tell the whole story.”

Jo Ann needed no second invitation. She began at once to give a vivid account of their getting the rope and their climb to the roof; then went on to their descent into the hidden room and the tunnel; and finally to the discovery of the candelabra, papers, and jewelry. With the help of Peggy and Florence not even the smallest detail was left untold.

“An amazing tale,” Dr. Blackwell commented when they had finished, “but I’m still shuddering about the risks you took.”

Eager to change the subject, Jo Ann turned to Señor Rodriguez and asked, “Can you make anything out of these papers?”

“Yes, Mees Jo.” There was a tinge of excitement in the Señor’s voice in spite of his attempt to appear calm. “Dey are ver’ old records and I t’ink may be ver’ valuable. One hab de name of my gran’modder’s family. If dey are what I t’ink—ah, dat would be wonderful! Somet’ing dat has been lost for many, many years—how you say in Ingles?—de missing link? Wid your permission I would like to take dem to my office and study dem.”

“That’s just what we want you to do. I can hardly wait to find out more about them. We would like your advice, too, about what to do with all these beautiful things.” She gestured toward the jewels and then, reaching over, picked up the opal ring that had so fascinated her. “This is the most beautiful opal I’ve ever seen, and it’s set so artistically. I’m glad my birthday’s in October, so it’s not unlucky for me to wear an opal, since I’m particularly fond of that stone.”

The Señor smiled. “Since it’s your lucky stone, try this ring on, Mees Jo.”

Obediently Jo Ann slipped the ring on her finger. “Oh, señor, it’s lovely.”

While she was still admiring it, Peggy picked up the filigree necklace. “This is the daintiest piece of all, I think,” she remarked.

“And this is the most beautiful, according to my notion,” smiled Florence, pointing to a bracelet of old gold set with sapphires and tiny diamonds. “The sapphire is my birthstone.”

Señor Rodriguez was much pleased by the girls’ admiration. “De people of my country are ver’ artistic,” he said. “Dey make many beautiful t’ings.”

“To whom do you think all these jewels and things belong?” Jo Ann asked. “And why were they put in that room under the church?”

“Mees Jo, I do not know. I am ver’ sorry dat I cannot answer you dat. I have heard dat long ago in de wars de people carried der most valuable t’ings to de church for safe keeping. I may be able to find out who owns dese from de papers.”

“I’m sure these jewels are very valuable,” Dr. Blackwell remarked in Spanish to the Señor. “I’m away so much that I don’t like to leave the girls alone with them in the house. Would you take charge of them till you find out to whom they belong?”

Señor Rodriguez nodded. “Yes, if you wish, doctor. I will be glad to take them and put them in my safe till I find out to whom they belong.”