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been a very reliable watchman. Possibly the fire started from a match he carelessly dropped himself.”
    Nancy nodded soberly. “Or it may have been a case of arson. Perhaps someone wished to conceal forever the secrets of that strange house.”
    “Do you think Mrs. Allison would set fire to her own house?” Mr. Drew questioned his daughter.
    “No, I hardly think she would do such a thing. I really have no theory about the fire. But I should like to drive out this morning and look at the ruins.”
    “Apparently you’ve forgotten that this is the day for the wild-animal show,” Nancy’s father reminded her.
    “No, I haven’t. We can go to Mrs. Allison’s property first, then come back for Rishi. He has lessons now. I’ll phone Bess and George and see if they’ll be able to start early.”
    “The plan suits me,” Mr. Drew agreed. “I’ve arranged to be away from the office all day.”
    Directly after breakfast Nancy talked with the cousins, saying she would pick them up at ten o’clock. Bess and George were waiting at the Fayne house when the Drews drove up. A short ride brought them within view of the Allison property.
    Disregarding Steve Roach’s recent warning not to trespass, the four walked rapidly through the woods to the clearing where the old house had stood. Now it was only a smoking ruin. Nancy’s eyes roamed from the pile of debris to a lone figure working among the wreckage.
    “Why, it’s Mrs. Allison!” she exclaimed.
    They hurried forward to find the woman trying vainly to move several half-burned timbers that blocked the stone stairway leading down into the secret tunnel. As Mrs. Allison turned to face the newcomers, her eyes filled with tears.
    “You shouldn’t be doing work like this!” Mr. Drew said. “If the timbers must be moved now, let me do it.”
    “I’ve been trying for an hour to get into the tunnel,” Mrs. Allison half sobbed. “I am completely worn out.”
    “Why not wait until some of the debris has been cleared away?” Nancy suggested.
    “Oh, you don’t understand. I am afraid to wait even a day. Someone may steal my precious treasures.”
    “Treasures?” Nancy asked.
    “They are hidden in the tunnel—many boxes of priceless articles. I must remove them before anyone comes. Oh, Miss Drew, if you and your father will only help me, I’ll be so grateful.”
    “Of course we’ll help,” Mr. Drew said quickly. “If these timbers are cool enough to handle I think we can get into the tunnel.”
    “Wouldn’t it be easier to enter the passageway through the door in the rock?” Nancy questioned, hoping the woman might divulge the secret of its mechanism.
    Mrs. Allison glanced sharply at the girl. If it occurred to her to wonder how Nancy was so well informed about the tunnel, she refrained from saying so.
    Instead, she murmured impatiently, “No, no. We cannot enter that way.”
    Fortunately, the portion of the basement in which the stone stairway stood had not entirely burned, so it was fairly clear of debris. In a short while Mr. Drew had dragged away the timbers blocking the passage.
    “It isn’t very safe to go in yet,” he cautioned Mrs. Allison. “You might be overcome by fumes or heat.”
    “The air in the tunnel will be cool and clear,” she insisted. “I must save my treasures! I have a big flashlight.” She took it from her handbag.
    “Then I’ll go with you,” the lawyer told her. “But I feel that the undertaking may be dangerous. You girls remain here.”
    Bess and George looked relieved, for they had been eyeing the great charred hole with misgivings. Nancy, on the other hand, could not bear to remain behind.
    “You’ll need me to help you,” she said to her father. “And I have a flashlight, too.”
    “Oh, well, come along,” he agreed.
    Leaving Bess and George behind, the other three swiftly descended into the tunnel. The fumes were even more unpleasant than they had anticipated. Both Mrs. Allison and Nancy were choking and