Jeff rolled his eyes.
“Lawdy, Miss! What will she say? I reckon I’s done gone and discharged myself.”
“It would be only what you deserve, Jeff. You were unfaithful to your trust.”
“What you mean, Miss, trust? I don’t trust nobody no mo’—especially no footloose white boys a-travelin’ around in see-dans.”
“You don’t understand. I mean you didn’t treat Mrs. Topham right in going off.”
“I reckon you’s right, Miss. Ole Jeff done gone and made a fool of himself. I realize dat whatever I gets, I’s got it a-comin’.”
A tear rolled out on Jeff’s black, furrowed old cheek, and he wiped it away with his handkerchief.
“There, Jeff,” Nancy said consolingly. “Let’s forget about what has been done and think about what we can do to straighten things out. I’ll try to help you. We must report the robbery to the police right away. Is there a telephone in the house?”
“No, Miss. We ain’t got no telephone heah. We always uses de R.F.D. ”
“Then we shall have to go to town as quickly as we can in my car. Do you suppose that you would recognize the man who enticed you away, Jeff?”
“Say, would I ’member him? I’d recognize dat man in a bootleggah’s convention. He was tall an’ slick-lookin’ with a kind of a ‘gimme’ look in his eyes. Yes mom! I suah would know dat baby!”
Before leading the way to her roadster, Nancy Drew thought of the old Crowley clock again and all that it might mean in the solving of the