A cry of alarm came from the direction in which the nurse had disappeared. Looking back, for Nick and Patsy had nearly reached the waiting touring car, they now beheld the girl running wildly hither and thither, excitedly wringing her hands, and evidently in a frantic search for some one.
Beyond the fringe of shrubbery flanking the curve of the driveway stood a baby carriage containing a child about two years old, then crying piteously.
“By Jove, there’s more trouble,” said Patsy. “What’s the matter with her? She spoke of tending the children. I can see only one. She must have lost track of the other.”
“It has strayed away, probably, or——”
Nick broke off abruptly, wheeling sharply around to gaze in the direction Miss Margaret Hanson had taken.
She had disappeared. Neither in the driveway, the adjoining grounds, nor in any part of the near avenue, was there any sign of her.
Nick Carter’s strong, clean-cut face underwent a decided change. He turned to Patsy, saying hurriedly:
“By Jove! This may be a put-up job. Get a move on, Patsy. Hunt up that woman who fainted. Find her, if possible, and keep your eye on her.”
“You think——”
“A child in charge of that nurse may have been stolen. The woman’s fit may have been only a trick to lure the nurse away while——”