Read Carolyn Keene_Nancy Drew Mysteries 050 for Free Online Page B

with white veils and he had on a long, flowing white robe. Suddenly the figure leaped back toward the hall. On the way he dropped this piece of paper in my lap.”
    “Where did the specter go?” Ned asked.
    “When he reached the hall,” Mrs. Thurston replied, “the light disappeared and so did he. I don’t know whether he was a ghost or not.”
    The woman closed her eyes as if to blot out the sight. “Maybe he went out the door but I didn’t hear it open or close. Perhaps he vanished through the wall!”
    Oscar patted his wife’s shoulder. “Try to forget the whole thing, my dear. It’s time for your medication.” He winked at Nancy and Ned.
    At once Nancy asked if she might prepare some tea and toast for Mrs. Thurston and the man nodded. “And, Oscar, when you’re ready,” Nancy went on, “I’ll be glad to fix your supper.”
    Mr. Thurston turned to his wife. “Do you hear that?” he asked. “Wouldn’t you like Nancy and Ned to stay and have supper with us?”
    His wife’s whole attitude changed. She smiled and said, “I’m sorry I acted so badly. Your staying would be delightful, but it’s too bad to put you to so much trouble.”
    Nancy chuckled. “I don’t mind. And thank you for the invitation. I’ll call home and say we’re having supper here.”
    Nancy was glad to have the excuse to stay for another reason. She wanted to hunt around for clues to the specter. While she and Ned were in the kitchen, they discussed the strange incident.
    “I hate to say this,” Ned remarked, “but Mrs. Thurston could have made that circle with the lines herself and then had a dream about the specter.”
    Nancy considered the possibility, but said she was inclined to think the incident had really happened. “The front door was unlocked and anyone could easily come in,” she added. “Knowing that Mrs. Thurston was alone in the house, the specter took advantage of a good chance to pull his spooky trick.”
    Ned remarked that he thought Oscar was the most patient man he had ever met. Nancy nodded and told him Bess’s theory that part of Mrs. Thurston’s poor health was due to fear, induced by her superstitions.
    “She’s probably right.”
    Oscar came into the kitchen as Ned said this and told the young people that his wife was now lying on the couch. She seemed quite composed and would likely fall asleep.
    “Nancy,” he said, “do you think you could fix supper for us by yourself?”
    “Certainly. Is there a special dish you’d like to have?”
    Oscar said he was not fussy. “Anything will do and don’t go to any trouble.” He added that he wanted to check on the birds again.
    “I might need a little help. Ned, would you be willing to go with me?”
    “Glad to.”
    The two men went outside. Nancy hunted for the telephone. Finding it, she called Hannah Gruen to tell her where she and Ned were and that they were staying to supper.
    “I’m the cook!” she said, laughing. “Too bad you aren’t here. The meal would be so much better.”
    Hannah chuckled. “You do very well, Nancy. But don’t try any fancy dishes on strangers. Nothing with a French name. Just good old American food.”
    After acquainting herself with the contents of the refrigerator, Nancy decided on the menu. It would include split pea soup, broiled lamb chops, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.
    “But what about dessert?” she asked herself, seeing nothing in the refrigerator, freezer, or on the kitchen counters. She opened a cabinet door and discovered several cans of fruit.
    “I’ll make boiled custard and after it’s chilled I’ll pour it over canned peaches,” she decided.
    Nancy became so engrossed in cooking, she did not notice how time was slipping away. First she made the custard, and while it was cooling, went into the dining room to set the table. Everything seemed to take much longer than usual because she did not know where certain dishes and silver-ware were kept.
    “This is kind of a mystery game in