Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard an automobile turning in at the drive. Rushing to the window, Nancy saw her father drive into the garage. As he opened the front door she ran to meet him.
“Why, hello, Nancy,” he greeted her in surprise. “If I had known you were here, I’d have come home sooner. I was doing some special work on a case. Back from Moon Lake early, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Nancy admitted, trying to hide her excitement. “But for a good reason.”
Before her father could remove his hat, she plunged into the story of her adventures and ended by showing him the notebook which she had found inside the mantel clock. When she had finished, Carson Drew stared at her with mingled pride and amusement.
“You’re a regular detective, Nancy.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
Carson Drew’s face sobered.
“No, I’m proud of what you’ve done, Nancy. I couldn’t have done better myself—perhaps not so well. You took a real risk when you encountered those robbers, but so long as you are back home safe and sound, it doesn’t matter.”
“The Tophams aren’t going to thank me when they find out what I have done.”
“Hardly. They may accuse you of stealing their clock, although so long as their house was open when you entered they can’t claim that you broke in. However, if we can manage to keep the knowledge from them, it will be just as well that they don’t learn the details of how the will was found.”