Chapter 3 The Mystery of the 99 Steps by Carolyn Keene
The Green Lion
“You know who the masked man is?” Nancy cried out unbelievingly.
“We are not acquainted with him,” Marie answered. “But I’m sure he was a gardener at the chateau of friends of ours. He was discharged for not being honest. In fact he was later suspected of stealing large sums of money from several shops.”
Monique spoke up. “We remember him because he was so odd looking, although I don’t recall he limped. His first name was Claude. We don’t know the rest.”
“And,” Nancy said, “he could be Monsieur Neuf! But if Neuf is trying to keep people away from the 99 steps, why would he leave France? Girls, you’ve given me a very valuable clue, anyway. Since you say Claude was not honest, and he’s using an assumed name and sent that warning note to Dad and me, I think our police should be alerted.”
When they reached headquarters, Nancy took the Bardot sisters inside to have them meet Chief McGinnis. The middle-aged, rugged-looking officer, a good friend of the Drews, greeted them all with a warm smile.
“I’m glad to meet your French visitors, Nancy,” he said.
“You’ll be doubly glad,” said Nancy, “when they tell you about the man who is trying to keep me from going to Paris.”
After Chief McGinnis had listened to the story, he nodded gravely and turned to the Bardots. “Will you young ladies compose a cable to your friends and ask for Claude’s last name and his address in France. I’ll send it, but the reply will come to your house, Nancy.”
The officer winked, adding, “I wouldn’t want the Bardots’ friends to think Marie and Monique are having trouble with the River Heights’ police!”
“Oh, no, no,” said Marie, and the sisters laughed.
Everyone was pleased at the quick response that came from France. The three girls, after a sightseeing trip on the Muskoka River, arrived home at five o’clock. Hannah Gruen had just taken the message over the telephone. It said:
Name Claude Aubert. Whereabouts unknown.
“Good and bad news at the same time,” Nancy remarked. “Apparently Claude the gardener has disappeared from his home town. But won’t he be surprised when our River Heights police pick him up!”
She dialed headquarters at once. Chief McGinnis was still there. Upon hearing Nancy’s report, he said, “I’ll get in touch with immigration authorities in Washington at once to check if Aubert entered this country legally. Most offices will be closing, but I’ll call anyhow.” He paused. “My men are out looking for this Frenchman. When do you leave, Nancy?”
“At eight tomorrow morning.”
“Well, if I have any news before then I’ll let you know. Good-by now.”
“Good-by, and thanks!”
Monique turned to Nancy. “Oh, I hope the police catch Claude! He may try to harm you again before you leave.”
The telephone rang. Nancy answered. “Hi, Bess! What’s up?”
“You must help us out—tonight.”
“How?”
“By performing anything you like. Play the piano, do tricks, tell a mystery story.”
“Bess, what are you talking about? Is this some kind of gag?”
“No, indeed, Nancy. This is the night the Teeners Club entertains the Towners Club, remember? You had to decline because of your trip.”
“Sorry, Bess,” said Nancy. “I’m afraid I must decline again for the same reason. I haven’t finished packing yet, and I told Mrs. Blair I’d drop in to see her. She was trying to find some clues for me from old diaries of her mother’s.”
“But, Nancy, we need one more number. We Teeners can’t disappoint the older folks. Couldn’t you just—?”
“Bess,” Nancy said suddenly, “I just had a brainstorm. Maybe Marie and Monique will sing some madrigals.”
“Marvelous!” Bess exclaimed. “Oh, Nancy, you’re a whiz. Hurry up and ask them.”
At first the French girls demurred, feeling that they did not sing well enough to perform in public. When Nancy, backed by Mrs. Gruen, assured the sisters they sang beautifully, the girls consented.
Monique said happily, “Marie and I brought old-time costumes used by singers in the Loire valley. We thought Tante Josette would like to see them.”
“That’s great,” said Nancy, hugging the girls.
When she told Bess the good news, there was a squeal of delight from the other end of the wire. “I’ll pick up Marie and Monique at seven-thirty,” said Bess.
Nancy requested that the sisters come last on the program. “I’ll try to finish my visit with Mrs. Blair in time to hear them.”
A little later when Marie and Monique came downstairs in their costumes, Nancy and Mrs. Gruen clapped in admiration. The long-skirted bouffant dresses with tight bodices were made of fine flowered silk. Marie’s was blue and trimmed with narrow strips of matching velvet. Her sister’s was rose color with festoons of shirred white lace.
The girls’ hair was piled high on their heads and they had powdered it to look like the wigs worn by the elegant ladies of the eighteenth century. On one cheek of each singer was a tiny black patch, another custom of the day.
“You will make a great hit,” Mrs. Gruen prophesied.
“Merci beaucoup,” said Marie, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Mrs. Gruen, are you not going?”
“I hadn’t planned to, since Nancy was not performing,” the housekeeper replied.
At once the three girls urged her to attend. Hannah beamed. “All right. It won’t take me long to change.”
She hurried to her room and soon returned in a becoming navy-blue dress. A few moments later Bess arrived for her passengers and they left. Nancy set off in her car for Mrs. Blair’s apartment.
The attractive woman, about forty years old, opened the door and said eagerly, “I found some notes in Mother’s diary that may help us.”
She sat down beside Nancy on a low couch in the living room and opened a small red-velvet-covered book. The writing was precise and quite faded in places.
“I’ve had a hard time deciphering this,” said Mrs. Blair. “It tells mostly of my parents’ travels, and mentions that I went along sometimes. But I was always with my governess.”
“Then the experience you dream about,” Nancy guessed, “could have included your governess. Is she still living in France?”
“I really don’t know. To me she was just ‘Mademoiselle’ and that is what she’s called in the diary. She was very kind, I remember. I was only three years old at the time.”
Mrs. Blair gave the names of several famous chateaux they had visited. Another was where Marie and Monique lived.
Nancy’s eyes sparkled. “Now we have something to work on! We’ll go to each chateau and look for the 99 steps!”
“Another place mentioned in the diary, Chateau Loire, was mostly in ruins,” Mrs. Blair went on. “It says the place was haunted by a ghostly alchemist who carried on his work there. You know, Nancy, in olden times people were superstitious about chemists and their experiments, and they were forbidden by law to work their ‘miracles.’ ”
“But they did it in secret?” Nancy asked.
“Oh, yes. They had all kinds of signs, and symbols and special words to indicate to other people in their group what they had accomplished.”
“How clever—and daring!” said Nancy.
Mrs. Blair arose and took a book from a shelf. It too was in French. She showed it to Nancy. “One of the interesting sets of symbols includes a Red King, White Queen, Gray Wolf, Black Crow, and Green Lion. The Red King stood for gold; the White Queen, for silver. I don’t understand the meaning of the crow, but the Green Lion—he’s a bad one. He devours the sun—or in other words, he’s acid making the silver or gold look green.”
“That’s fascinating!” Nancy exclaimed.
“Yes, it is,” the woman agreed. “And it’s hard to realize that the forbidden art of alchemy finally became the basis for our modern chemistry. In the sixteenth century alchemists believed that minerals grew, so certain mines were closed to give the metals a chance to rest and grow.”
Nancy listened intently as Mrs. Blair went on, “For a long time people laughed at this idea. But today chemists have discovered that metals do literally grow and change, though very slowly. My goodness!” the woman exclaimed. “We have wandered off the subject of our mystery, Nancy. But actually I didn’t find any other clues to my dream or the 99 steps’ incident of my childhood.”
Nancy glanced at her wrist watch. She was reluctant to leave, but would still have time to hear Marie and Monique perform. She invited Mrs. Blair to accompany her, but the woman declined because of her sprained ankle.
Nancy arose, saying she must go. “You have given me a lot to work on, Mrs. Blair. I’ll certainly be busy in France! Au revoir, and I hope I’ll soon have good news for you.”
Nancy hurried to the school auditorium where the Teeners were giving their show. She quietly slid into a rear seat in the dim light.
The Bardot sisters had just been announced and came out before the footlights. Standing with their heads close together, they began to sing. At the end of the number the applause was terrific.
As it died down, and the sisters started the second madrigal, Nancy’s eyes wandered over the audience. Suddenly she caught her breath. Directly across the aisle in the center of a row sat Claude Aubert!
“I must get the police before he leaves!” Nancy thought. Quickly and unobtrusively she made her way outside.