Chapter III: Part 3

"Are you sure you didn't do it yourself?" Louise asked teasingly. "After all, you were the one who found the second stone, so that throws suspicion on you!"

Penny allowed the subject to die. With a quick change of interest, she suggested to her companions that they return to Riverview by way of the Marborough place.

"Don't you think we're showing ourselves there too frequently," Louise protested mildly. "There's such a thing as wearing out one's welcome."

"Oh, we needn't try to break into the house." Penny grinned. "But if we don't go there, we'll never learn any more about the mystery."

Louise and Rhoda were not particularly eager to climb the hill. However, to oblige Penny they offered no objection to her proposal.

Approaching the Marborough property five minutes later, the girls were startled to hear loud, angry voices. The sound came from the direction of the old wishing well.

"Someone is having a fearful argument!" Penny declared, quickening her step.

As the three friends emerged into the clearing they saw Mrs. Marborough and Jay Franklin sitting together on a garden bench. The widow was speaking in a high-pitched voice, reprimanding the caller for having misled her regarding the record stone found on her land.

"She's giving it to him right, and I'm glad!" Penny chuckled.

"Let's not go any closer," Louise murmured, holding back.

Penny stared at her chum in blank amazement. "Not go closer?" she demanded. "Why, this is why we came! I thought Mr. Franklin might be here, and I want to hear what he has to say for himself."

CHAPTER
12
_NO ADMITTANCE_

Neither Louise nor Rhoda approved of interfering in the argument between Mrs. Marborough and Mr. Franklin, but as usual they could not stand firm against Penny. Making considerable noise to give warning of their approach, the girls drew near the garden bench.

"Your conduct has amazed and disappointed me," they heard the old lady say in clipped words. "When I allowed you to remove the stone from my yard you promised that you would deliver it to the museum."

"I may have mentioned such a possibility, but I made no promise," Mr. Franklin replied. "You sold the rock to me. It is now mine to do with as I see fit."

"You deliberately tricked me! I am less concerned with the money than with the fact that you are trying to force the museum to pay for something which I meant them to have free."

"Mrs. Marborough, you sold the rock for two dollars. Unless I am very much mistaken, that money meant more to you than you would have the townspeople believe!"

Mrs. Marborough arose from the bench, glaring at the visitor.

"Mr. Franklin, you are insulting! Leave my premises this minute and never return!"

"I'll be very happy to depart," the man retorted, smiling coldly. "I came here only because you sent for me. However, if you were inclined to take a sensible viewpoint, I might make you a business proposition."

"What do you mean by that, Mr. Franklin?"

"I refer to this house here. If you're disposed to sell it I might make you an offer."

Mrs. Marborough had started toward the house, but then she paused and regarded him speculatively.

"What is your offer, Mr. Franklin?"

"I'll give you fifteen hundred for the house and grounds."

"Fifteen hundred!" the old lady exclaimed shrilly. "For a house which cost at least forty thousand to build! Aren't you being outrageously reckless?"

"Old houses are a drug on the market these days, Madam. You'll find no other buyer in Riverview, I am quite sure. In fact; I wouldn't make you such a generous offer except that I think this place might be fixed up as a tourist home."

"A tourist home!" Mrs. Marborough cried furiously. "You would make this beautiful, colonial mansion into a cheap hotel! Oh, go away, and never, never show your face here again!"

"Very well, Madam," Mr. Franklin responded, still smiling. "However, I warn you that my next offer for the property will not be as generous a one."

"Generous!" Mrs. Marborough fairly screamed for she was determined to have the final word. "Your price would be robbery! You're just like your father, who was one of the worst skinflints I ever knew!"

Mr. Franklin had nothing more to say. With a shrug, he turned and strode from the yard. Mrs. Marborough gazed after him for a moment, and then sinking down on the stone bench, began to cry. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned her head and saw the three girls. Hastily, she dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief.

"Oh, Mrs. Marborough, don't feel badly," Penny said quickly. "We heard what he said to you. Mr. Franklin should be ashamed of himself."

"That man doesn't affect me one way or the other," the old lady announced with a toss of the head. The girls accepted the explanation with tranquil faces although they knew very well why Mrs. Marborough had wept. Rhoda wandered to the wishing well, peering down into the crystal-clear water.

"Do you know, I'm tempted to make another wish," she remarked. "Would it be very selfish of me?"

"Selfish?" Louise inquired, puzzled.

"The last one came true. I shouldn't expect too much."

"Do make your wish, Rhoda," urged Penny, "but don't anticipate quick action. I'm still waiting for mine to come true."

Rhoda drew a bucket of water from the well, and filling the dipper which always hung on a nail of the wooden roof, drank deeply.

"I wish," she said soberly, "I wish that Ted might find a job. If he could get work, maybe it wouldn't be necessary to accept charity from Mr. Coaten or anyone!"

Rhoda's wish, so earnestly spoken, slightly embarrassed the others, for it served to remind them of the girl's poverty.

"Now you make one, Penny," Louise urged to cover an awkward silence.

"I can't think of anything I want," Penny answered.

"Well, I can!" Mrs. Marborough announced unexpectedly. "In all the years of my life I've never made a wish at this well, but now I shall!"

To the delight of the girls, she reached for the bucket of water. With a grim face she slammed the entire contents back into the well.

"Just a little token, O wishing well," she muttered. "My desire is a most worthy one. All I ask is that Jay Franklin be given his come-uppance!"

"We'll all second that wish!" Penny added gaily.

"There!" Mrs. Marborough declared, rather pleased with herself. "That makes me feel better. Now I'll forget that man and go about my business."

"I think it was selfish of him to take the attitude he did about the stone," Penny said, wishing to keep an entertaining topic alive.

Mrs. Marborough seemed to have lost all interest in the subject. Gathering her long skirts about her, she started for the house. Midway up the flagstone path she paused to say:

"There's a tree of nice summer apples out yonder by the back fence. Pick all you like and take some home if you care for them."

"Thank you, Mrs. Marborough," Louise responded politely.

After the door had closed behind the old lady, the girls did not immediately leave the vicinity of the wishing well.

"She means to be kind," Louise commented, drawing figures in the dirt with her shoe. "But isn't it funny she never invites us into the house?"

"It's downright mysterious," Penny added. "You notice Jay Franklin didn't get in there either!"

"Why does she act that way?" Rhoda asked in perplexity.

"Penny thinks she's trying to keep folks from discovering something," explained Louise. "The old lady is queer in other ways, too."

Thoroughly enjoying the tale, the girls told Rhoda how they had observed Mrs. Marborough removing the flagstones surrounding the base of the wishing well.

"There's been more digging!" Penny suddenly cried, springing up from the bench. "See!"

Excitedly she pointed to a place where additional flagstones had been lifted and carelessly replaced.

"Mrs. Marborough must have been at work again!" Louise agreed. "What does she expect to find?"

"Fishing worms, perhaps," Rhoda suggested with a smile. "Under the flagstones would be a good place."

"Mrs. Marborough never would go fishing," Louise answered. "Sometimes I wonder if she's entirely right in her mind. It just isn't normal to go around digging on your own property after night."

"Don't you worry, Mrs. Marborough knows what she is about," Penny declared. "She's looking for something which is hidden!"

"But what can it be?" Louise speculated. "Nothing she does seems to make sense."

"She's one of the most interesting characters I've met in many a day," Penny said warmly. "I like her better all the time."

"How about those apples?" Rhoda suggested, changing the subject. "I'm sure Mrs. Breen could use some of them."

As the girls started toward the gnarled old tree, a battered automobile drew up in front of the house. A man who was dressed in coat and trousers taken from two separate suits alighted and came briskly up the walk.

"Who is he?" Louise whispered curiously.

"Never saw him before," Penny admitted. "He looks almost like a tramp."

"Or an old clothes man," Rhoda added with a laugh.

Observing the girls, the man doffed his battered derby.

"Is this where Mrs. Marborough lives?" he asked.

"Yes, she is inside," Louise replied.

Bowing again, the man presented himself at the front door, hammering it loudly with the brass knocker.

"Mrs. Marborough will make short work of him," Penny laughed. "She's so friendly to visitors!"

Before the girls could walk on to the apple tree, Mrs. Marborough opened the door.

"Mr. Butterworth?" she asked, without waiting for the man to speak.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Come in," invited Mrs. Marborough, her voice impersonal.

The caller stepped across the threshold and the door swung shut.

"Did you see that?" Louise whispered, stunned by the ease with which the man had gained admittance.

"I certainly did!" Penny murmured. "That fellow--whoever he is--has accomplished something that even Riverview's society ladies couldn't achieve! Maybe I was puzzled before, but now, let me tell you, I'm completely tied in a knot!"

CHAPTER
13
_A SILKEN LADDER_

As Penny approached the school grounds the following morning, she heard her name called. A moment later, Rhoda Wiegand, breathless from running, caught up with her.

"Penny, the most wonderful thing has happened!" she exclaimed.

"Your Texas friends have left town?" the other guessed.

Rhoda shook her head. "Unfortunately, it's not quite that wonderful. They're still here. This news is about my brother, Ted. He has a job!"

"Why, that's splendid. Exactly what you wished for yesterday afternoon at the well."

"Penny, doesn't it seem strange?" Rhoda asked soberly. "This makes twice my wish has come true. How do you account for it?"

"I suppose your brother could have obtained the job through accident," Penny answered. "That would be the logical explanation."

"But it all came about in such an unusual way. Judge Harlan saw Ted on the street and liked his appearance. So he sent a note to the Camp asking if he would work as a typist in his office."

"Ted is accepting?"

"Oh, yes. The pay is splendid for that sort of work. Besides, it will give him a chance to study law, which is his life ambition. Oh, Penny, you can't know how happy I am about it!"

At the mid-morning recess, Penny reported the conversation to Louise. Both girls were pleased that Ted Wiegand had obtained employment, but it did seem peculiar to them that the judge would go to such lengths to gain the services of a young man of questionable character.

"Perhaps he wants to help him," Louise speculated. "Ted is at the critical point of his life now. He could develop into a very fine person or just the opposite."

"It's charity, of course. But who put the judge up to it?"

"Mrs. Marborough heard Rhoda express her wish."

"Yes, she did," Penny agreed, "but I don't think she paid much attention. She was too angry at Jay Franklin. Besides, Mrs. Marborough doesn't have a reputation for doing kind deeds."

"If you rule her out, there's nothing left but the old wishing well," Louise laughed.

"I might be tempted to believe it has unusual powers if ever it would do anything for me," grumbled Penny. "Not a single one of my wishes has been granted."

"A mystery seems to be developing at Rose Acres," Louise reminded her.

"I've not learned anything new since I made my wish. Mrs. Marborough hasn't decided to cooperate with the Pilgrimage Committee either."

The Festival Week program which so interested Penny had been set for the twentieth of the month and the days immediately following. Gardens were expected to be at their height at that time, and the owners of seven fairly old houses had agreed to open their doors to the public. Both Penny and Louise had helped sell tickets for the motor pilgrimage, but sales resistance was becoming increasingly difficult to overcome.

"The affair may be a big flop," Penny remarked to her chum. "No one wants to pay a dollar to see a house which isn't particularly interesting. Now Rose Acres would draw customers. The women of Riverview are simply torn with curiosity to get in there."

"I don't believe Mrs. Marborough ever will change her mind."

"Neither do I," Penny agreed gloomily.

Two days elapsed during which nothing happened, according to the viewpoint of the girls. From Rhoda they learned that Ted was well established in his new job, and that Mr. Coaten seemed displeased about it. Mr. Parker reported that Jay Franklin had made progress in his efforts to sell the Marborough stone to the Riverview Museum. Other than that, there was no news, no developments of interest.

"Louise, let's visit Truman Crocker again," Penny proposed on Saturday afternoon when time hung heavily.

"What good would it do?" Louise demurred. "You know very well he doesn't like to have us around."

"He acted suspicious of us, which made me suspicious of him. I've been thinking, Lou--if the writing on those two stones were faked, it must have been done with a chisel--one which would leave a characteristic mark. Every tool is slightly different, you know."

"All of which leads you to conclude--?"

"That if Truman Crocker did the faking he would have a tool in his workshop that would make grooves similar to those on the stones. An expert might compare them and tell."

"Do we consider ourselves experts?"

"Of course not," Penny said impatiently. "But if I could get the right tool, I could turn it over to someone who knows about such things."

"So you propose to go out to the shack today and appropriate a tool?"

"I'll buy it from Mr. Crocker. Perhaps I can convince him I want to chisel a tombstone for myself or something of the sort!"

"I used to think you were just plain crazy, Penny Parker," Louise declared sadly. "Lately you've reached the stage where adjectives are too weak to describe you!"

A half hour later found the two girls at the Crocker shack. The door of the workshop stood open, but as Penny and Louise peered inside, they saw no sign of the old stonecutter. A number of tools lay on a bench where Crocker had been working, and with no hesitation Penny examined them.

"Here is a chisel," she said in satisfaction. "It seems to be the only one around too. Just what I need!"

"Penny, you wouldn't dare take it!"

"In my official capacity as a detective--yes. I'll leave more than enough money to pay for it. Then after I've had it examined by an expert, I'll return it to Mr. Crocker."

"O Mystery, what crimes are committed in thy name," Louise warbled. "If you land in jail, my dear Penny, don't expect me to share your cell cot."

"I'll take all the responsibility."

Selecting a bill from her purse, Penny laid it in a conspicuous place on the workbench.

"There, that should buy three or four chisels," she declared. "Now let's leave here before Truman Crocker arrives."

Emerging from the shop, Penny and Louise were surprised to see dark storm clouds scudding overhead. The sun had been completely blotted out and occasional flashes of lightning brightened a gray sky.

"It's going to rain before we can get to Riverview," Louise declared uneasily. "We'll be drenched."

"Why not go by way of Mrs. Marborough's place?" Penny proposed. "Then if the rain does overtake us, we can dodge into the summer house until the shower passes over."

Hastening toward the hillside trail, the girls observed that the river level was higher than when last they had seen it. Muddy water lapped almost at the doorstep of Truman Crocker's shack. A rowboat tied to a half submerged dock nearby swung restlessly on its long rope.

"I should be afraid to live so close to the river," Louise remarked. "If the water comes only a few feet higher, Crocker's place will sail South."

"The river control system is supposed to take care of everything," Penny answered carelessly. "Dad says he doesn't place much faith in it himself--not if it's ever put to a severe test."

Before the girls had gone far, a few drops of rain splattered down. Anticipating a deluge, they ran for the dilapidated summer house which stood at the rear edge of Mrs. Marborough's property. Completely winded, they sank down on a dusty wooden bench to recapture their breath.

"The clouds are rolling eastward," Louise remarked, scanning the sky. "It may not rain much after all."

"Lou!" Penny said in a startled voice.

She was gazing toward the old wishing well at a dark figure which could be seen bending far over the yawning hole.

"What is it?" Louise inquired, turning in surprise.

"Look over there!" Penny directed. "Mrs. Marborough is doing something at the well. Is she trying to repair it or what?"

"She's examining the inside!" Louise exclaimed. "Why, if she's not careful, she may fall. We ought to warn her--"

"Mrs. Marborough knows what she is about, Lou. Let's just watch."

From a distance it was not possible to tell exactly what the old lady was doing. So far as the girls could discern she was tapping the inside stones of the well with a hammer.

"She's trying to discover if any of them are loose!" Penny whispered excitedly. "Louise, I'm sure of it now! Something of great value is hidden in or near the wishing well, and Mrs. Marborough came back to Riverview to find it!"

"What could it be?"

"I haven't an idea."

"If there's something hidden in or around the well, why doesn't she have a workman make a thorough search?"

"Probably because she doesn't want folks to suspect what she is about, Lou. That may explain why she works at night and on very dark, gloomy days such as today. She doesn't wish to be seen."

"Mrs. Marborough searches in such obvious places," Louise said after a moment. "If anything really is hidden it might be deep down in the well. She never will find it in that case."

"We might help her," Penny suggested impulsively.

"You know she would resent our interference."

"She probably would if we tell her what we intend to do."

Louise gazed speculatively at her chum, realizing that Penny had some plan in mind. She waited expectantly, and then as the other did not speak, inquired:

"Just what scheme are you hatching now?"

"You gave me the idea yourself," Penny chuckled. "The logical place to search is deep down inside the well. I'm sure the water can't be more than a few feet deep."

"So you want me to dive in and drown myself?" Louise joked. "Thank you, but I prefer to restrict my aquatic exercise to swimming pools!"

"Remember that silk ladder I acquired when I helped police capture Al Gepper and his slippery pals?" Penny demanded, paying no heed to the teasing.

"I do," Louise nodded. "It was made of braided silk strands by a Chinese curio man, and had two iron hooks to claw into the wood of window ledges."

"Those same hooks will fit very nicely over the side of the wishing well. I've been waiting for a chance to use that ladder, and here it is!"

"Penny! You actually have the courage to climb down into a well?"

"Why not?" Penny laughed. "But it must be tonight while my enthusiasm is bubbling. Meet me at nine o'clock and bring a good flashlight."

Louise could only stare. "You're actually serious!"

"Indeed I am," Penny replied gaily. "Everything is settled. Now let's slip away from here before Mrs. Marborough sees us."

CHAPTER
14
_NIGHT ADVENTURE_

The night, dark and misty, was entirely suitable for the purpose to which the two girls had dedicated it. Dinner over, Penny obtained the unique silken ladder from an attic trunk. Compressing it into a small brief-case, she sauntered through the living room.

"Aren't you becoming quite studious of late?" Mr. Parker inquired, noting the brief-case tucked under her arm. "Off to the library again?"

"Over to Louise's house," Penny corrected vaguely. "From that point on there's no guarantee."

"You'll be home early?"

"I hope so," Penny answered earnestly. "If for any reason I fail to appear, don't search in any of the obvious places."

Leaving her father to ponder over the remark, she hastily quitted the house. A clock chimed nine o'clock as she reached the Sidell house, and a moment later her chum joined her in the yard.

"I had trouble getting away," Louise reported. "Mother asked a thousand questions."

"Did you bring the flashlight?"

"Yes, here it is. My, but it's a dark night!"

"All the better for our purpose," Penny said cheerfully.

A single light burned in the kitchen window of the Marborough house as the girls presently approached it. The garden was shrouded in damp, wispy mist and the unkempt grounds never had appeared more desolate.

"Penny, must we go through with this?" Louise asked, rapidly losing enthusiasm for the venture.

"I'll admit the idea doesn't look quite as attractive as it did this afternoon," her chum replied. "All the same, I'm going through with it!"

"What can you hope to find down in that well?"

Penny did not answer. Walking ahead of Louise, she noiselessly crossed the yard to the old wishing well. Flashing her light into the circular interior, her courage nearly failed her. However, she gave no indication of it to her companion.

"Better be careful of that light," Louise warned. "That is, unless you want Mrs. Marborough to come out and catch us."

Penny switched off the flashlight and thereafter worked in darkness. Taking the silken ladder from its case, she fastened the two iron hooks over the stone ledge. Next, she lowered the ladder into the well, listening until she heard a faint splash in the water below.

"Now you stay here and keep watch," she instructed briskly. "I'll be down and back again before you know it!"

"The ladder may break," Louise said pessimistically, seating herself on the stone ledge of the well. "Silk deteriorates with age, and those braided strands never did look strong."

"They once held one of Riverview's most notorious apartment-house burglars," Penny returned with forced cheerfulness. She climbed over the ledge, gazing down into the dark well. "It's safe enough--I hope."

"In case you slip and fall, just what am I to do?"

"That's your problem," Penny chuckled. "Now hand me the flashlight. I'm on my way."

Despite their banter, both girls were tense and worried. By daylight, a descent into the well had seemed to Penny an amusing stunt; but now as she cautiously descended into the damp, circular pit, she felt that for once in her life she had ventured too far.

"What do you see?" Louise called softly from above. "Anything?"

Reminded of the work before her, Penny clung with one hand to the swaying ladder, while with the other she directed the flashlight beam about the circular walls. The sides were cracked in many places and covered with a slimy green moss.

"What do you see, Penny?" Louise called again. "Are any of the bricks loose?"

"Not that I can discover," Penny answered, and her voice echoed weirdly. Intrigued by the sound she tried an experimental yodel. "Why, it's just like a cave scene on the radio!"

"In case you've forgotten, you're in a well," Louise said severely. "Furthermore, if you don't work fast, Mrs. Marborough will come out here!"

"I have to have a little relaxation," Penny grumbled.

Descending deeper into the well, she resumed her task of examining the walls. There were no loose bricks, nothing to indicate that anything ever had been hidden in the cavern. Reaching the last rung without realizing it, she stepped not into space, but water.

Surprisingly her foot struck a solid foundation.

Hastily pulling herself back on the ladder, Penny shouted the information to her chum.

"Lou, the water isn't more than a foot and a half deep! There's an old boot or something of the sort floating around. You don't catch me drinking any more of this water. No sir!"

There was no reply from above.

"Louise!" Penny called, flashing her light upward.

"Quiet!" came the whispered response. "I think someone is coming!"

"Mrs. Marborough?" Penny gasped, thoroughly alarmed.

"No! Two men! They're turning in at the gate!"

Penny began to climb the silken ladder with frantic haste.

"You never can get out without them seeing you!" Louise hissed. "I'm ducking out!"

"Don't you dare!"

"They'll see me if I don't. Stay where you are Penny, and I'll come back after they go. Oh, the ladder! It's sure to give you away!"

In the emergency, Penny's mind worked with rapidity. Lowering herself into the well several rungs, she deliberately stepped into the water. To her relief it came just below her knees.

"Quick! Pull up the ladder!" she instructed.

The two men were so close that Louise dared not obey. Instead she loosed the iron hooks and dropped the ladder into the well. Penny barely was able to catch it and prevent a loud splash.

"Of all the tricks--" she muttered, but Louise did not hear. She had fled into a clump of bushes.

Penny huddled against the slimy wall, listening intently. Thinking that she heard footsteps, she switched out the flashlight.

"This is the place all right," a masculine voice said. "Wonder if the old lady is at home?"

"There's a light showing."

The voices faded away, and Penny drew a deep sigh of relief. Impatiently she waited for Louise to come to her aid. After several minutes she realized why her chum delayed, for she again heard voices.

"The old lady must be inside the house. Funny she wouldn't come to the door. They say she's a queer one though."

To Penny's discomfort, the two men paused by the wishing well.

"Want a drink?" she heard one ask.

The voices seemed faintly familiar to Penny and suddenly it dawned upon her that the two men were Mr. Coaten and his Texas friend. However, she could think of no reason why they should call upon Mrs. Marborough. Her reflection came to an abrupt end, as the well bucket splashed into the water beside her.

Suppressing a giggle, she groped for the old boot which floated nearby. Dropping it into the bucket, she watched as it was raised to the surface. A moment later she heard an exclamation of wrath from above.

"See what I've drawn up!" one of the men muttered. "These old wells must be filled with filth!"

Penny hoped that the strangers would immediately depart, but instead they loitered by the well, talking.

"We've been wasting entirely too much time in this," remarked the man whom she took to be Mr. Coaten. "Suppose we were to offer Ted a hundred dollars to sign the paper. Would he do it?"

"I think he might, but the girl is the one who'll make trouble. She's shrewd."

"We'll get around her somehow," the other said gruffly. "This thing can't drag on forever. I have work waiting for me in Texas."

The voices gradually died away and Penny heard no more. However, from the snatch of conversation, she was convinced that Rhoda's suspicions regarding the Texas strangers had been well founded. But what had brought the two men to Riverview?

"If Rhoda or Ted own property, I could understand why it would be desirable to adopt them," she thought. "As it is, the thing doesn't make sense."

To keep from freezing, Penny gingerly waded around and around in the well. It seemed ages before Louise thrust her head over the ledge and called softly:

"Are you still there, pet?"

"I'm frozen into one big icicle!" Penny retorted. "Get me out of here."

Instructing her chum to lower the bucket, Penny fastened the silken ladder to the handle. Louise hauled it up, and again hooked the irons to the ledge of the well.

Stiffly, Penny climbed toward the surface. She had nearly reached the top when the beam of light chanced to play across a section of brick which hitherto had escaped her notice. Halting, she traced with her finger a rectangular pattern on the wall.

"That's not an ordinary crack!" she thought. "It might be an old opening which has been bricked up!"

"Are you coming?" Louise called impatiently.

"I am," said Penny, emerging from the well. "And don't you dare say that this night has been a failure. I've just made a most astounding discovery!"

CHAPTER
15
_OLD BOTTLES_

Penny's startling appearance rather than her words made the deepest impression upon Louise. The girl's shoes and stockings were wet, her clothing was smeared with green slime, and strings of moss clung to her hair.

"You look like Father Neptune emerging from the briny deep," she chuckled.

"I'm freezing to death," Penny chattered. "Come on, we're going home!"

Louise hauled up the silken ladder from the well. Squeezing out the water, she compressed it into the carrying case.

"What were you saying about a discovery?" she inquired belatedly.

"Oh, nothing of consequence," Penny answered, pounding her hands together to restore circulation. "Merely an opening in the side of the well. It probably leads into a tunnel."

"Penny! Are you sure?"

"I'm not sure of anything except that I'm going home!" Penny replied crossly.

She started across the lawn with her chum hurrying after her.

"Oh, Penny, I'm terribly sorry," Louise said contritely. "I know you had an awful time down in the well. But it wasn't my fault those two men arrived just when they did."

"Who were they?" Penny asked, mollified by the apology. "From their voices I took them to be Mr. Coaten and his friend."

"That's who they were. But, I can't imagine why they came to see Mrs. Marborough. Anyway, they didn't get into the house."

"Lou, I heard those men talking while I was down in the well," Penny revealed. "I'm sure they're dishonest. They want Ted and Rhoda to sign something over to them."

"But Rhoda said she and her brother have no property."

"I know," Penny frowned. "I can't make head nor tail of the situation. I'm too miserable to think about anything now."

Pausing beside a tree, she removed one of her shoes. After pouring a little water from it, she replaced it and went through a similar procedure with the other shoe.

"Please tell me what else you learned while in the well," Louise pleaded. "Haven't I been punished enough?"

Her good humor restored, Penny grinned amiably. "To tell you the truth, Lou, I'm not sure whether I found anything or not."

"But you said--"

"I know. Just as I reached the top of the well I noticed a section of brick wall which seemed to be cracked in the exact shape of a rectangle."

"Was that all?" Louise asked in disappointment.

"I didn't even take time to examine the place. I felt so disgusted," Penny resumed. "However, I believe that if one were able to remove those loose bricks, an opening might be found behind them."

"Where something may be hidden?"

"It's possible."

"How could one remove the bricks without hiring a workman?" Louise asked after a moment.

"If they are as loose as I think they are, I might be able to get them out myself. Not tonight though."

Penny felt in no mood to discuss future possibilities or even to consider them. Already cold, the misty air added to her physical discomfort.

"Better get a hot shower and go to bed," Louise advised as they finally reached the Parker home. "We'll talk things over in the morning."

Not desiring to attract attention to herself, Penny entered the house by a side door. To her discomfiture, Mrs. Weems, who chanced to be getting a drink in the kitchen, saw the disheveled clothing.

"Why, Penny Parker!" she exclaimed. "What have you done to yourself?"

"Nothing," Penny mumbled. "I'm just a little wet. I've been down in a well."

"There are times when your jokes don't seem at all funny," the housekeeper said sternly. "How did you ruin your clothes?"

"That's the truth, Mrs. Weems. I was down in a well and I stepped off into the water--"

"Penny, you can't expect me to believe such a tall story. Now tell me exactly what _did_ happen."

"Would it seem more reasonable if I said that I stumbled and fell into a ditch?"

"I rather thought something of the sort happened," Mrs. Weems declared. "How did the accident occur?"

"It didn't," Penny maintained plaintively.

Escaping upstairs before the housekeeper could question her further, she took a hot shower and went to bed. She could hear a murmur of voices in the living room below, and knew that Mrs. Weems was discussing her "behavior" with her father.

"Sometimes grownups are so unreasonable," she sighed, snuggling into the covers. "You tell them the truth and what they really want is a nice logical whopper!"

Penny slept soundly and did not awaken until the Sunday morning sun was high in the heavens. Sitting up in bed, she moved her arms experimentally. They were very sore and stiff. She swung her feet to the floor and groaned with pain.

"Guess I can't take it any more," she muttered. "I must be getting soft, or else it's old age sneaking up on me!"

Torturing herself with a limbering exercise, Penny dressed and went downstairs. Mrs. Weems had gone to church while Mr. Parker had submerged himself in fifty-eight pages of Sunday paper. Detouring around the living room, Penny went to the kitchen to prepare herself a belated breakfast. She was picking at the nuts of a fruit salad found in the ice box when her father appeared in the doorway.

"Penny--" he began sternly.

"Where was I last night?" she interrupted. "I've said before, and now repeat--in a well! A nice deep one with water in it."

"When you're ready to tell me the real story, I shall listen," Mr. Parker said quietly. "Until that time, I must deprive you of your weekly allowance."

"Oh, Dad!" Penny wailed. "You know I'm stony broke! I won't be able to drive my car or even buy a hot dog!"

"That is your misfortune. Mrs. Weems says I have been entirely too indulgent with you, and I am inclined to agree with her. I've seldom checked your comings or goings, but in the future I shall expect you to tell me your plans when you leave the house at night."

Having delivered his ultimatum, Mr. Parker quietly withdrew.

Penny had lost her appetite for breakfast. Feeling much abused she banged out the kitchen door into the yard. Her first act was to inspect the gasoline tanks of both Leaping Lena and the maroon car. As she had feared, the combined fuel supply did not equal three gallons.

"There's just about fifty-five miles between me and misery," she reflected grimly. "I wouldn't dare siphon gas out of Dad's car or ask for credit at a filling station either!"

Wandering around to the front porch, she sat down on the steps. One of her high school boy friends pedalled past on his bicycle, calling a cheery greeting. Penny barely responded.

Presently a milk wagon clattered to a stop in front of the house. The driver came up the walk with his rack of milk bottles. Penny eyed him speculatively.

"We have a lot of old bottles in the basement," she greeted him. "Does your company pay for them?"

"Sorry," he declined. "We use only our own stamped bottles. There's no deposit charge. Customers are expected to return them without rebate."

The driver left a quart of milk on the back doorstep of the Parker home. In walking to his wagon, he paused beside Penny, remarking:

"Maybe you could sell your old bottles to a second-hand dealer. I saw one on the next street about five minutes ago."

"Where?" Penny demanded, jumping to her feet.

"He was on Fulton Avenue when I drove past."

Thanking the driver, Penny ran as fast as her stiff limbs would permit to the next street corner. Far up the avenue she saw a battered old car of the second-hand man. Hurrying on, she reached the automobile just as its owner came from a house carrying an armful of corded newspapers.

"Excuse me," she called eagerly, "do you buy old bottles?"

The man turned toward her, doffing his derby hat.

"Good morning, Miss," he said. "I buy newspapers, old furniture, rubber tires, copper, brass, or gold, but not bottles."

Penny scarcely heard the discouraging information for she was staring at the man as if his appearance fascinated her. For a moment she could not think where she had seen him before. And then suddenly she remembered.

"Why, I saw you at Mrs. Marborough's place!" she exclaimed. "You're the one person who has been inside the house! I want you to tell me all about it."

CHAPTER
16
_INSIDE THE MANSION_

Mr. Butterworth, the second-hand dealer, scarcely knew what to make of Penny's abrupt request.

"Tell me how the house looks inside," she requested as he remained mute. "Is it as handsome as folks say?"

"You are a friend of Mrs. Marborough?" the man inquired, cocking his head sideways as he regarded the girl.

"Of course."

"Then why do you not ask Mrs. Marborough that question?"

"Because she never invites anyone into her house," Penny explained patiently. "You're the only person to get in so far as I know. I'll venture she sold you something. Am I right?"

"Maybe so," Mr. Butterworth grinned. "My lips, they are sealed."

"Sealed?"

"I promise Mrs. Marborough I tell nothing of what I see in the house."

"Then there is something mysterious going on there!" Penny exclaimed. "Tell me, why did you go to the house?"

"Mrs. Marborough sent for me."

"But why?" Penny demanded, exasperated because she could learn nothing of importance. "Did Mrs. Marborough sell you something?"

"Maybe so, maybe not," the second-hand man answered, climbing into his overloaded car. "You ask her."

Penny watched him drive away, and then returned to her own doorstep. She was listlessly throwing acorns at a squirrel when Louise Sidell came down the street, dressed in her Sunday best.

"What's the matter, Penny?" she inquired, roving over to the porch. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Lower than the center of the earth. I've lost my reputation with Dad, my allowance, and my initiative. If I had a nickel I'd go drown myself in a coke!"

"What you need is a nice adventure," Louise said mischievously. "How about a trip out to Mrs. Marborough's tomorrow night?"

"I've had enough of wells!"

"Penny, you don't mean it!" Louise grinned. "After discovering those loose bricks, you'll just forget about them?"

"Why not?" Penny demanded wildly. "Dad won't let me leave the house at night any more without a six thousand page report on where I am going. If I so much as mention Mrs. Marborough's well, he'll clap on a double punishment."

"You can manage it somehow," Louise declared with confidence. "I'll meet you tomorrow night about eight-thirty."

"Maybe," Penny said gloomily.

Throughout the day she tried to win favor with both Mrs. Weems and her father by doing small things to please them. When the housekeeper came home from church, dinner awaited her. Penny insisted upon doing the dishes. She straightened the kitchen, she brought her father his bedroom slippers, and refrained from turning on the radio while he was reading. The schedule was a trying one for her, but she kept it up faithfully all day Sunday and until after dinner on Monday. Then came the denouement upon which she pinned her hopes.

"Dad," she said demurely, leaning on the chair arm and stroking his hair, "with your kind permission I should like to absent myself from the house for a few minutes."

"Where do you plan to go?" he asked, trying to act stern.

Penny was prepared for the question. From her pocket she whisked a lengthy typewritten paper, handsomely decorated with a diagram.

"What's this?" Mr. Parker asked, his lips twitching slightly.

"Merely a report on my proposed movements for the next hour. At eight-thirty I hope to be at Louise's house. Eight thirty-four should find me on Adams Street, moving southward. At eight thirty-eight I pass Gulbert Park--"

"Never mind," Mr. Parker interrupted. "I see by this lengthy document that your ultimate destination is Mrs. Marborough's estate. Isn't it rather late to pay a social call?"

"Eight-thirty?"

"What does this X on the map represent?" the publisher asked, his interest shifting.

"Oh that?" smiled Penny. "Merely one of the fixtures in Mrs. Marborough's yard. Louise and I think treasure may be hidden there."

Amused by what he took to be his daughter's whimsy, Mr. Parker returned the diagram to her.

"Do I have your permission to leave the house?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, you may go," he agreed. "But mind, no late hours. And no more tall tales about falling into wells!"

Louise was waiting for Penny in the Sidell yard and the girls went as quickly as they could to the Marborough estate. The house was completely dark, leading them to believe that the widow might have absented herself for the evening.

"We'll have to be especially careful," Louise warned as they approached the old wishing well. "She might return at any moment and find us."

Penny had brought the silken ladder, extra rope, a flashlight and a suit of warm coveralls which her father used when he worked on the car. Donning the bulky garment, she prepared to descend a few feet into the well.

"Do be careful," Louise said anxiously. "If you should fall you might kill yourself."

"You think of the most cheerful things," Penny muttered, climbing nimbly down the swaying ladder. "I'm not taking any chances though. I'll tie myself to the ladder with this extra piece of rope."

After she had gained the position she desired, Louise handed down the flashlight. Penny carefully inspected the brick wall.

"I believe it is an opening!" she reported jubilantly. "I really do. Here, take this flash. I can't work and hold it."

While Louise directed the beam from above, Penny tugged at the bricks. Unable to move them, she called for a tool which she had brought with her. By means of it, she easily pried one of the bricks loose. Pushing her arm through the opening, she encountered only empty space.

"It's a little tunnel I think!" she shouted to Louise. "Take this brick, and I'll try to pry out others!"

Within ten minutes Penny had handed up enough of them to make a large pile beside the flagstones.

"Do you realize you're practically destroying Mrs. Marborough's well!" Louise said uneasily. "How will we ever explain this?"

"I can put the bricks back again," Penny assured her. "They were meant to come out. Now, the flashlight again."

Balancing herself precariously on the ladder, she directed the light through the opening she had created. A long narrow tunnel which she judged to be about five feet below the ground, extended as far as she could see.

"I'm going to try to get in there!" she called to Louise. "Toss me a life preserver if I fail!"

Calculating the space, Penny swung her feet from the ladder to the ledge. Retaining an arm hold on the ropes, she edged herself backwards into the hole.

"It's much easier than it looks," she called encouragingly to her chum. "Come on, if you want to explore."

Louise hesitated, and then daringly climbed down into the well. Penny helped her from the ladder into the tunnel.

"Where do you suppose this leads?" Louise gasped.

"Maybe to the house," Penny speculated. "I know lots of these old places had escapes made so that in time of war or Indian attacks, the householders could get away. Never heard of a tunnel opening into a well though!"

The bricked passageway was so low that for the first twelve feet the girls were forced to crawl on hands and knees. Gradually, the tunnel deepened until they were able to walk in a stooped position.

"We're coming to the end of it," Penny presently announced.

Directly in front of her was a heavy door which showed the effects of age. It did not move easily, but together, the girls were able to swing it open.

"Where in the world are we?" Louise murmured in perplexity.

Penny flashed her light directly ahead. A series of four steps led down from the tunnel into an empty room which barely was six feet across. So far as she could see it had no exit.

"It looks as if we're at the end of the trail," Louise remarked in disappointment.

"This must be part of the Marborough house," Penny declared, descending the steps into the tiny room.

"But there's no way out of it except through the tunnel!"

"There must be if we can find it," Penny insisted.

Wandering about the room she began to explore the walls, and Louise followed her example. Their search was rewarded, for presently they discovered a small brass knob embedded in the rough board paneling. Penny pulled on it and a section of wall slid back.

"Now we're really in the Marborough house!" she whispered excitedly. "The basement, I think."

Stepping through the opening, the girls made no sound as they tiptoed around in the dark, damp room. Penny's flashlight revealed that the walls had been boarded over, but there was no solid foundation beneath their feet, only a hard dirt floor. A steep stairway led up from the basement.

"Do you suppose Mrs. Marborough is here?" Penny whispered, listening.

There was no sound from above.

"Shall we go upstairs, or back the way we came?" she asked her chum.

"Let's risk being caught," Louise decided after a moment's hesitation. "I'd rather be sent to jail for house breaking than to climb into that well again."

Huddling together, the girls crept up the stairway. The landing was blocked by another door. Penny tested it, and finding it unlocked, pushed it gently open. Again they listened.

"The coast is clear," Louise whispered. "I'm sure Mrs. Marborough isn't here."

Penny stepped across the threshold, tense with anticipation. Ever since Mrs. Marborough's arrival in Riverview she had longed to see the interior of the grand old mansion. And now, through a strange quirk of adventure, her ambition was to be gratified.

Slowly she allowed the flashlight beam to play over the walls of the room. There were several pictures in massive gold frames, leading her to think that she had entered a library or living room. Systematically, she continued to move the light about in search of furniture. So far as she could see there was none.

"The room is empty!" Louise whispered at her elbow.

A board squeaked beneath their weight as the girls tiptoed to a doorway opening into a still larger room.

"This must be the living room," Penny decided, observing a beautiful, circular stairway which rose to the second floor.

"But where is the furniture?" demanded Louise in bewilderment.

Penny's light cut squares across the room, but the only objects revealed were a chair and a table drawn close to the fireplace.

"What can this mean?" Louise gasped. "The house always has been furnished. Now everything is gone."

Penny did not answer. The sound of shuffling feet on the front porch caused both girls to freeze against the wall. Before they could retreat to the basement stairs, the living room door opened. Light from a street lamp cut a path across the bare floor.

Mrs. Marborough stood framed in the doorway. The girls had made no sound, yet the mistress of Rose Acres seemed to sense that she was not alone.

"Who is it?" she called sharply. "Speak up! Who is hiding here?"

CHAPTER
17
_THE MARBOROUGH PEARLS_

In frightened voices Penny and Louise acknowledged their presence in the dark room. Greatly relieved that the intruders were girls, Mrs. Marborough struck a match and lighted three half-burned candles which were set in a huge glass candelabra.

"Oh, so it's you!" she exclaimed as the flickering light fell upon their faces. "May I ask why you have broken into my house?"

"We're thoroughly ashamed of ourselves, Mrs. Marborough," Penny said apologetically.

"Indeed we are," added Louise. "When we started to investigate the wishing well we didn't intend to enter the house."

"Suppose you explain," suggested the mistress of Rose Acres.

"It's a long story," sighed Penny. "May we sit down somewhere?"

The request embarrassed Mrs. Marborough. She hesitated, and then indicated that the girls were to follow her. To their surprise she led them through another empty room to the kitchen, there lighting a candle. Its soft illumination revealed an old oil stove, several chairs, a porcelain table and a cot which obviously served both as a day couch and bed.

Mrs. Marborough offered no explanation or apology. Taking wood from a box, she piled it into the fireplace, and soon had a cheerful blaze on the hearth.

Drawing their chairs to the fire, Penny and Louise explained how they had entered the old mansion. Mrs. Marborough listened attentively to their story but did not appear especially surprised.

"I've always known about that old tunnel," she said when they had finished. "It was built by the first owner of this house, many, many years ago, and I doubt if it ever was used. I tried to find the entrance from the basement a few days ago, but was unable to locate it."

"We saw you with your lantern at the wishing well," Louise confessed. "That was what aroused our curiosity."

"I was looking for the other tunnel entrance. I found it without much trouble, but it was so deep down in the well that I dared not risk trying to get into it. Although I considered hiring a man, I hesitated, because I knew it would cause talk."

Penny and Louise were feeling much more at ease, sensing that the mistress of Rose Acres no longer was irritated by their actions. Eagerly they waited for her to reveal more.

"I suppose you think me a queer old lady," Mrs. Marborough resumed. "Perhaps I am, but I have a very good reason for some of the things I do. I came to Riverview to search for something which has been lost many years."

"Something hidden during the Civil War?" inquired Louise breathlessly.

"No, my dear, an object secreted by my sister, Virginia. Since you girls already have learned so much I will tell you all. Perhaps you have heard of the Marborough pearls?"

Penny and Louise shook their heads.

"I forget that you are so very young," Mrs. Marborough said. "Your mothers would remember. At any rate, the necklace was handed down in our family for many generations, always to the daughter who was the first to marry. Virginia, my younger sister, dreamed and hoped that the pearls would go to her. Naturally, I shared a similar desire. As it came about, I was the first of the family to marry."

"Then you received the necklace?" Louise commented.

"It should have gone to me, but my sister was determined I never should win such a victory over her. In a fit of anger she hid the pearls. Father tried to force her to tell what she had done with them, but she was very headstrong. She ran away from home, married a scamp, and sailed with him to South America. She died there less than two years after my own marriage."

"What became of the pearls?" Penny asked eagerly.

"Our family believed that she took the necklace with her. For many years we assumed that Virginia's worthless husband had obtained possession of it. He denied any knowledge of the pearls, but we never accepted his story as true. Then, a few weeks ago, a letter came from South America. It had been written by Virginia's husband shortly before his death."

"He confessed to the theft of the necklace?" Louise asked, trying to speed the story.

"No, indeed. He merely enclosed a letter written by Virginia years before. It was addressed to me, and had never been sent, because her husband deliberately withheld it. Just selfish and cantankerous, that man was! The letter told where the pearls had been hidden. I imagine that Virginia's husband had planned to gain possession of them someday, but fate defeated him. So on his death bed he sent me the original letter which I should have received forty years earlier."