CHAPTER XXI
THE BEGINNING OF ROMANCE
Walter was frankly bewildered by this time. But he obediently took along look at the short, fat man and the long, thin one. Then, as theydisappeared around a corner, he turned back to Nan and led her towardthe hotel entrance.
"Why, Nan, you are trembling," he said, as they followed the colored boythrough a handsome courtyard and between rows of beautiful palm trees."I never knew you to be like this before. What's the matter? If eitherof those men have bothered you," he added, glowering fiercely, "I'llwring their necks."
Nan gave a funny little hysterical laugh at this, and the laugh helpedto steady her after the shock she had had at the unexpected reappearanceof the two men.
"I don't want you to wring anybody's neck," she said, as they passedthrough another big door and stopped before an elevator. "Only please,Walter," she looked up at him appealingly, "watch out for them and letme know if you see them again. They are following us."
Walter's bewilderment was beginning to change to alarm, and he wouldhave demanded to know all about the strange affair at once, had not thethree girls come up to them at that minute.
On the ride up to the third floor of the hotel, where the room engagedfor Nan and Bess was located, Grace reminded Nan of nothing so much as ahuman interrogation mark.
She fairly besieged the girl from Tillbury with questions, which wouldhave been very embarrassing to poor Nan had not Rhoda interposed in herbehalf.
"I don't suppose Nan wants to tell us about it now, Grace," she said."Let's wait till we get upstairs."
Whereupon Grace was silenced temporarily. As for Bess, she was nearly asdisturbed as her chum, and the journey up to the third floor seemedinterminable.
They reached it, however, and the girls stepped out into a handsomecorridor and were preceded by the velvet-footed bellboy pastinterminable closed doors, to be stopped finally before one particulardoor, closed like the rest, but evidently belonging, for the space of aday and night at least, to Nan and Bess.
Walter dismissed the boy with a tip, and, drawing a long key from hispocket, inserted it in the door. A moment more and they had stepped intoa beautiful room, all blue and gold, and with deep, lacily curtainedwindows and twin beds set over in one corner, with a small table and areading lamp beside each one.
If the girls had not been used to handsome surroundings, the beauty ofthe room might have overwhelmed them a little. As it was, they weremerely delighted.
Walter set the bags and hat boxes inside the door for them, and thenturned to Nan, who was regarding her own particular bag with a disturbedlittle frown.
"I don't know what the matter is, Nan," he said in a low voice. "But ifthere is anything about those men you don't like I'll see that theydon't worry you."
"Thank you, Walter. You're a dear," said Nan gratefully. "I'll tell youall about it just as soon as I can. And you really can help me, Walter,if you want to."
"I'll say I do," returned Walter boyishly. "See you later," and he wentout quickly, closing the door behind him.
As Nan turned back into the room she found Bess regarding her with amischievous little smile that said as plainly as words: "What did I tellyou, Nan Sherwood?"
Nan felt unreasonably angry, but she was not given very much time tonurse the feeling. Grace was upon her like a young whirlwind, draggingher over to one of the beds and demanding in no uncertain tone what shehad to say in explanation of her queer conduct a few minutes before.Rhoda sat down on the other side of Nan, her face eagerly flushed.
"I never was so curious in my life, Nan Sherwood," she said. "Hurry upand tell us all about it."
Nan obediently went over the whole story. She told where she wascarrying Mrs. Bragley's papers, and of her, Nan's, strange impression ofbeing watched ever since the papers had come into her possession.
Then while Grace and Rhoda's eyes became wider and wider she told of thetwo men they had met on the boat and the tall one's evident desire toget into their cabin, for some reason known only to himself. And lastlyshe related how on that very morning they had found the mysterious menin suspicious proximity to their stateroom again and how the two haddisappeared upon catching sight of the girls.
"Why, it's a regular mystery!" Grace cried eagerly, and Bess turned awayfrom the mirror where she was fixing her hair and looked at her. "A realmystery!"
"You speak as if you liked it," she said impatiently. "It is lots offun, I must say, to have Nan so worked up and nervous all the time thatyou can't say boo to her without making her jump. If those old men don'tget arrested or something pretty soon," she added, turning back to themirror, "I'll have to do something desperate, that's all."
"Please don't," said Nan, with a laugh. "Enough is happening, goodnessknows, without you starting something, too. Oh, come on, girls," sheadded, jumping up and flinging off her hat and coat. "I'll find outsomething definite about Mrs. Bragley's property before long, I hope,and then I'll be able to get rid of these horrid old papers. In themeantime, here we are in Jacksonville, and to-morrow we start for PalmBeach and everything is wonderful and lovely. Who's that?" A tap hadsounded on the door and the girls started. "You open it, Bess. I have myhands full."
"Goodness! did you see me jump then?" Bess demanded grumpily. "I'll beas bad as Nan before you know it."
The visitor proved to be no one more formidable than Grace's mother, andas the girls were very fond of her, they greeted her with literally openarms.
Of course Grace had to recount to her all over again the story Nan hadtold her and Rhoda, and before she finished Mrs. Mason was lookingrather grave.
"It certainly does look as though those papers of yours were important,Nan," she said. "That is evidently what the rascals are after. I'lltell Mr. Mason, if you say so----"
"Oh, yes," Nan put in eagerly.
"And between us we ought to solve the mystery--if there is one."
"If there is one!" Grace exclaimed indignantly. "Well, I never!"
"Come, dear," Mrs. Mason merely said, "I know Nan and Bess must be alittle tired after their trip, and they will just have time to rest foran hour and freshen up before lunch."
She led the reluctant Grace from the room. With a laughing word Rhodafollowed them, and the chums were left alone.
That afternoon they went out right after lunch to see Jacksonville. TheMason's car was waiting for them outside as they stepped out upon thesidewalk in front of the hotel, but Nan was surprised to find Mr. Masoninstead of the lawyer's son behind the wheel.
And then she saw Walter! He was in a beautiful, brand new littletwo-seater, which was shaped very much like a torpedo and came smartlyclose to the ground.
Nan, who was following her chums into the big car, stopped short at thisstrange apparition and uttered an exclamation of surprise. The othersfollowed the direction of her glance, and Bess stood up excitedly.
"Hey, Walter! Where did you get the new car?" she asked. "Goodness,isn't it a beauty!"
"Do you like it?" asked the boy proudly, as the nose of theimpertinent-looking little runabout stopped short within about twoinches of the back of the big car. "Dad said he was afraid I would smashthe jumbo, so he bought this little toy for me. Some class, isn't it?"
The girls were enthusiastic, and, indeed, it was an unusually handsomelittle car, and Nan ran around to get a closer look at it.
"Dad got it for me just in time," Walter said, patting the glossy sideof his new steed.
"Why?" asked Nan innocently.
"Because there are too many in the party to ride in the big car, and wecan have a much better time in the little fellow, I am sure. Come on,jump in."
Although she was eager to try the new car, Nan never wanted anything solittle as she did to ride with Walter at that particular time.
But Mr. Mason had already started his motor, and there was nothing forNan to do but to obey Walter and "jump in."
The little car had a surprisingly deep, wide tonneau, and Nan sank backin it luxuriously. She was con
scious of the admiring scrutiny ofspectators, and then Walter did a few skilful things to the machine andit started purringly forward after the big car, both for all the worldlike a full-grown horse and its colt.
Nan sighed contentedly. If it had not been for Bess and the teasing shewas sure to get when they were alone together in their room, she wouldhave been completely happy.
Bess turned and waved to her, and the action, Nan knew as well as if herchum had put it into words, meant: "What did I tell you, Nan Sherwood?"