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steadily.
    “Queer,” Nancy murmured. “What is it?”
    Unfortunately, Helen slipped on a stone and turned her ankle. Involuntarily she gave a cry of pain. Both girls froze, their hearts pounding.
    For a moment the circle of light did not move. Then, slowly, it began to turn toward them!

CHAPTER VI
    Mysterious Morgan
    HELEN seized Nancy’s arm as the eerie blue circle of fire moved toward them through the woods. Nancy squeezed her friend’s hand reassuringly, though she herself was not certain that the ring meant harm to them.
    Closer and closer it came. Suddenly Helen could stand the suspense no longer and gave a shrill scream.
    Instantly the circle vanished!
    Nancy darted to the place it had been, but now nothing was there. She tried to peer through the darkness, but the night seemed blacker than ever.
    At the same time, she could hear Jim shouting for Helen and running toward them. “What’s the matter?” he panted.
    “That weird fire was coming at us,” said Helen. “I lost my head and screamed. I’m sorry, Nancy,” she added. “It spoiled your chance to find out what the thing was.”
    “Never mind. I’ll see it again, I’m sure.”
    Back in the house, the Comings met the three with a flood of anxious questions. They had heard Helen scream and were badly shaken. Quietly Nancy explained what had happened.
    “I’ll ring for Morgan,” said Helen’s grandmother. “I think we could all do with a cup of tea to settle our nerves.” She pushed a button on the low table beside her.
    Five minutes later the houseman had not yet appeared. “I’ll go for him, Gram,” Jim offered, but returned to report that he could not find the servant. “I looked everywhere, including his room.”
    “Perhaps he went outside to investigate the blue fire,” Nancy suggested. “I think we ought to search the woods for him.”
    “I went out and called,” said Jim, “but got no answer.”
    The elder Comings exchanged worried glances. “Never mind, Gram,” said Helen. “I’ll make the tea. You tell Nancy the rest of the story.”
    “It was two weeks ago,” said Mrs. Corning, “that we first saw the circle of fire. And it was exactly two weeks ago that Morgan changed.”
    “How do you mean?” Nancy asked.
    “He used to be such a cheerful fellow,” she replied, “always ready with a little joke. Nothing we asked was ever too much trouble. I can’t tell you what a tower of strength he has been. Over the years he has become like a member of the family. But now—he’s a stranger.”
    “He forgets things,” said Mr. Corning. “Sometimes we ring and he doesn’t come. Afterward, he mumbles a flimsy excuse.”
    “Several times I heard noises at night on the first floor,” said Mrs. Corning. “I came down and found Morgan wandering around, fully dressed, with a strange, frightened look on his face. We’ve asked him a number of times to tell us what’s the matter, but he avoids answering.”
    “How long have you known him?” Nancy asked.
    “Fifteen years,” replied her host. “He came to us with excellent references. And now I don’t know what we would do without him.”
    “Perhaps he needs medical help,” Nancy suggested.
    “Maybe he does,” said Mrs. Corning, “but I feel sure the reason for his trouble is the blue fire.” She arose, went to a modern-looking desk, and returned with an envelope. From it she took a folded card.
    “On the morning of the day the fire first appeared,” said Mrs. Corning, “a letter came in the mail for Morgan. A little later when I went to the kitchen, he was sitting in a chair, very pale, with his hand on his heart. The open envelope was on the table but the card had dropped to the floor. As I picked it up, I couldn’t help noticing it was an ordinary greeting card.”
    “Did you see a signature?” Nancy asked. Helen’s grandmother shook her head.
    Mr. Corning explained that they had called a doctor, who said Morgan had suffered a bad shock. But the houseman