The Scarlet Slipper Mystery
He lives in 1A.”
    The two girls walked down a corridor and knocked. The door was opened by a thin, sallow-cheeked man with a waxed mustache.
    “Ah, charmant!” the Frenchman said. “The so pretty American girls.”
    The girls were amused by his exaggerated mannerisms. George asked, “Is there another Frenchman in this building who might be using the name of Judson?”
    “I see you are not interested in poor Guion,” said the man. “But yes, we have a Mr. and Mrs. Judson here for some weeks.”
    Nancy asked for a description of the couple. It sounded as though the woman was Mrs. Judson, and her husband might well be the man who had stopped her on the deserted road!
    “Where are they living?” she asked.
    Mr. Guion pointed down the corridor. “They have sublet down here, while the tenant is away in Canada. However,” he said, shrugging, “I do not know where they are now. This morning they most quickly moved out.”

CHAPTER VI
    A Strange Mix-up
    “To think we came so close to finding the Judsons and then missed them!” George fumed when she and Nancy were back in the convertible, heading for the Drew home.
    Nancy, too, was discouraged, although it was interesting to know that she had been correct in suspecting that the man and woman who evidently had a major role in the Fontaine case had been living in River Heights.
    “We could call the apartment superintendent to learn whether they left a forwarding address,” the girl said. “But since they’ve been receiving mail at the General Post Office, that doesn’t seem likely.”
    When George dropped Nancy at her home, Hannah Gruen greeted the young detective with a smile. “You have company!” she announced.
    Nancy hobbled into the living room to find Ned Nickerson seated on the sofa.
    “Hello!” he said. “Say, what’s this I hear about a busted ankle?”
    Nancy told him it was only a mild strain. “Then if you’re okay,” he said, “how about a double date tonight with the Fontaines?”
    “All right. But we’ll have to stay here,” said Nancy. “It would be dangerous for them to leave the house. Won’t you have dinner with us? I can promise apple pie.”
    “It’s a deal.”
    The drapes were drawn throughout the first floor and the Fontaines came downstairs. Ned liked them at once, and they conversed freely.
    During dinner Nancy told the group what she had learned at the Oakwood Avenue apartment house. Afterward, Mr. Drew excused himself and went to his study. The four young people sat in the living room and talked.
    Suddenly the doorbell rang several times. The Fontaines looked worried and Nancy advised them to hide in the kitchen. As Helene and Henri hurried off, Hannah went to answer the bell.
    Nancy and Ned watched from the living room while the housekeeper opened the door. They were amazed to see a man of medium build, his face concealed by a handkerchief he held in his hand, force his way in. He pushed past Hannah and shut the door behind him!
    Ned ran into the hall, intending to tackle the intruder. The man stood still and whisked the handkerchief away from his face.
    “What’s the idea of forcing your way in here?” Ned demanded.
    Nancy had hobbled to the hall and stood staring at the man in blank amazement. He was the one she had met on the plane—the person they suspected of having sent the warning note to the Fontaines!
    He was thunderstruck when he recognized Nancy. “You live here?” he asked.
    Before she could reply, there was a frantic pounding on the front door.
    “Don’t let anybody in!” the stranger cried. “I was followed!”
    “Open the door!” cried a girl’s voice, which Nancy recognized at once as George’s.
    Nancy opened the door and her friend rushed in. “Oh, I tried to warn you!” she exclaimed. “But this man—he got here ahead of me!”
    “Warn them about what?” the stranger asked.
    “About you,” George said bluntly. “Nancy, get the police!”
    “Police?” the man asked. “I don’t

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