Part 30 (1/2)

Nan, doing the crawl with her head under water, came up directly in front of this unpleasant-looking person and was so startled and surprised in consequence that she almost forgot to keep herself afloat.

Her paralysis remained only a moment, however, and in a flash of time she was swimming back toward her companions.

As for the man, having given Nan a careful look, he suddenly made a dash for the sh.o.r.e and one of the bathhouses.

”I reckon this is my chance,” he said, as he got into his clothing with all speed. ”I'll do the trick while she is in bathing.”

Nan was almost out of breath when she reached her chums.

”Listen to me!” she gasped. ”I've got to get up to the hotel--and at once!”

”Nan Sherwood, is it serious this time, or is this only another of your attacks?” asked Bess impatiently. ”Here you are the one who dragged us into the water at this early hour, and now you want to spoil all the fun by breaking up the party. For goodness' sake, listen to reason,” she wailed, as Nan, with a determined shake of her red-capped head, started in toward sh.o.r.e.

”Haven't time,” she flung back.

”You can at least tell us what the matter is,” called Grace, as reluctant as Bess to cut short the fun.

”Haven't time,” Nan repeated, half way in to sh.o.r.e now.

Bess and Grace paddled the water and looked at each other helplessly.

”Don't you think we had better go, too?” asked Rhoda uncertainly.

”No, I don't,” was Bess's cross answer. ”Nan's acting awfully funny these days, anyway. I think she has another secret.”

As for Nan, she did not wait to see whether the girls were following her or not, but ran posthaste to her bathhouse, where she exchanged her bathing suit for more formal attire. Then she hurried on to the hotel.

She had not seen this man since his arrival at Palm Beach, and the sudden appearance of his face so close to hers in the water had startled her horribly. Her first thought had been of the doc.u.ments in her suitcase and her one desire to get to them as soon as possible.

”Oh, what a fool I was not to give those papers to Mr. Mason, or have them placed in the hotel safe,” she scolded to herself. She called herself several kinds of a goose as she ran down the quiet corridor to her room. As she stood before the door a slight noise within sent her heart suddenly into her mouth, and she hesitated before turning the k.n.o.b.

Then, with desperate courage, she flung the door wide and stepped into the room. Before her bed a tall, thin man was standing, and on the bed was a bag, her bag, partly open, with the contents showing!

In a moment her fear changed to flaming indignation, and she sprang forward, flinging herself before the bag and pus.h.i.+ng the man away from her with furious, impotent little fists.

”You little imp!” the fellow snarled, catching her wrists and holding them in an iron grip. ”You just dare make a noise, and I'll show you who's boss. You little----”

”Nan! Oh, Nan, what's the matter?”

The voice held a frightened note, and its owner was evidently running along the corridor toward Nan's open door. The man said something under his breath, released Nan's wrists, and darted toward the window.

Nan, conscious of a stabbing pain in her wrists, followed him, but not in time to stop his flight. She saw him disappear down the fire escape and then, with a little stifled sob, turned back into the room and found herself face to face with her startled chums.

”Nan! you look like a ghost,” cried Bess, flinging an arm about the girl and drawing her to the bed.

”We thought we heard a man's voice,” added Rhoda, staring with fascinated eyes from Nan to the half-opened bag on the bed.

Grace was plainly frightened. ”Nan! was that man here?”