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anything about the burglar who had tried to steal the prayer rug. After a somewhat lengthy conversation, he put the phone down and relayed a disappointing message to Nancy.
    “No leads at all on that man who tried to steal the rug,” he said. “Chief McGinnis thinks the fellow has probably left town.”
    “That’s too bad,” said Nancy. “I keep wondering if he’ll make another attempt to get into this house. Dad, I notice you had special burglarproof locks put on both the front and back doors.”
    “Yes,” her father replied. “I’ll give you and Hannah keys. But anybody as clever as that fellow can probably figure out a way to unlock them.”
    The Drews agreed that there was no use worrying about it. They would not live in fear.
    Nancy’s father asked, “Have you found any more clues in the border of the rug?”
    “No, but I think I’ll work on it a little right now.”
    She went upstairs to her room, brought the rug to the living room, and laid it on the floor. Nancy moved a lamp close, showing up the design clearly. For some time there was silence in the room as the young detective and her father, sitting on the floor, endeavored to find another clue.
    “This is frustrating,” Mr. Drew remarked half an hour later. He grinned. “I admit I’m getting a bit stiff sitting in this position. I think I’ll walk around outdoors a little. Want to come along, Nancy?”
    “You bet,” she said eagerly.
    From earliest childhood Nancy had been thrilled whenever her father had said, “Let’s take a walk.” She had learned a good deal about trees, shrubs, flowers and birds from him.
    As they walked along the darkened street, Nancy said, “I hear an owl.”
    “That’s right,” her father agreed. He chuckled. “Hear what the wise old one is saying?”
    Nancy listened, then she giggled. “It sounds as if he were saying, ‘You will, you will!’ ”
    “Exactly,” Mr. Drew said. “I’ll bet when we get back to the house you’ll discover another part of Farouk’s message.”
    Nancy squeezed her father’s arm. “Are you tired of walking?” she asked with a grin. “I can hardly wait to search the rug for more clues.”
    Father and daughter laughed and circled several adjoining side streets. Finally they returned to the house. Nancy sped into the living room and dropped to the floor. She again scrutinized the border of the rug. To Nancy’s delight her father’s prediction came true. She found two more words: “her to.”
    “Oh, Dad, you were right!” she called out.
    The lawyer walked in and looked. “Now the instructions are ‘Carson, find mannequin. I love her. Carry her to—’ But where?”
    Nancy continued her search until she became sleepy, but found nothing. She folded up the rug and took it to her bedroom.
    Early the next morning she telephoned George, then Bess. George was already up but Bess sounded very sleepy.
    “Want to help me with some sleuthing?” Nancy asked. Both girls said yes, but Bess begged for a full hour to get ready.
    “No hurry,” said Nancy. “We’re just going downtown in the vicinity of the tailor shop and find out from people who live or work there what they may know about the mannequin.”
    Nancy once more took out the rug and began to study it. She had barely begun when the front doorbell rang and Hannah admitted George.
    “I decided to walk over and save Nancy the trip to my house,” she said.
    “Nancy’s upstairs,” said the housekeeper. “Go right up.”
    George joined Nancy in the search for further words or symbols. A few minutes later she said, “I think I’ve found something! It looks like ‘nst.’ ”
    Nancy stared at the section to which George was pointing. She smiled.
    “You’re absolutely right. I wonder if it’s part of a word. And also, is it French or English or something else?”
    The two girls continued the search. It was several minutes before George found two more letters le.
    Nancy sat back on her heels, trying to figure out if