Free Mystery of the Ivory Charm by Carolyn Keene Page A

spooky,” Bess commented. “Reincarnation means that after you die, you’ll be reborn as another person or animal, doesn’t it?”
    “I’ll probably be a goat!” George chuckled.
    “Sh!” Nancy warned. She did not want to miss a word of what Mrs. Allison was saying. The woman lapsed into another silence, seemingly disturbed by the interruption.
    “You were just talking about reincarnation,” Nancy prompted quietly.
    Mrs. Allison made no immediate response. Her eyes had focused on the elephant charm that hung from its velvet cord about Nancy’s neck. With trembling fingers the woman reached out and touched it reverently.
    “The ivory charm will bring you good luck,” she murmured, “both in this world and the next. After death you will be reborn—you will enter a higher sphere and enjoy a life of splendor. You, Nancy Drew, will be reborn to become the beautiful wife of a rajah of India!”
    Mrs. Allison lapsed into a moody silence. She closed her eyes, and the girls carried her upstairs and outdoors. She presently fell into a natural sleep from which she awakened fifteen minutes later.
    “Dear me, have I been dozing?” she asked, looking about in bewilderment. “Where am I?”
    “Don’t you recall the cave-in?” Nancy questioned in amazement.
    “Oh, yes, now that you speak of it, I do.”
    “Surely you must remember that we carried out several boxes of treasure,” Nancy reminded her, “and that a small container of jewels was dropped on the ground.”
    Mrs. Allison’s blank expression made it evident to the girls that the incident had left no impression on her mind.
    “You don’t remember anything you said to Nancy?” George asked.
    Before Mrs. Allison could answer, Mr. Drew rejoined the group.
    “You’re looking much better than you were, Mrs. Allison,” the lawyer remarked. “Are you all right now?”
    “I feel quite my usual self, thank you. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll go to my car.”
    “Just a minute,” Carson Drew said. “Don’t you want to hear where I took your boxes?”
    “Boxes?”
    “Yes, the treasure we carried from the tunnel. I deposited everything in a vault at the River Heights National Bank. Here’s the receipt and your credentials.”
    Absentmindedly the woman reached for the papers.
    “Thank you,” she murmured. “Thank you for your trouble.” Abruptly turning, she walked swiftly down the wooded trail toward her parked car.
    “Well, is that all the appreciation we get for lugging out her heavy old boxes?” George demanded with annoyance, when the woman had disappeared from sight.
    “I don’t believe Mrs. Allison is entirely herself,” Nancy said. “She’s been talking wildly, Dad.”
    “I doubt that she understood what I was telling her,” Carson Drew added with a troubled frown. “At any rate, I hope she doesn’t lose those papers.”
    “Perhaps we can catch her before she leaves and explain matters again,” Nancy suggested, following the woman.
    They all ran to the roadside but Mrs. Allison had driven away. Mr. Drew glanced at his wristwatch and said it was not too late to attend the wild-animal show.
    “I’d like to take Rishi,” said Nancy. “Do you think he might be recognized, though, and there’d be trouble?”
    “Let’s chance it,” her father suggested. “We might pick up a good clue.”
    When Rishi received the invitation, he was happy at first, then sobered. “Rishi afraid to meet Rai.”
    “I’m sure he isn’t there,” Nancy replied. “Mr. Strong promised to notify us if Rai returned.”
    “Then Rishi go,” the Indian boy said. He changed his shirt and they all set off for the show.
    The town of Hanover was crowded with cars, and the streets near the fairgrounds, where the huge tents had been erected, were jammed with people. While Mr. Drew parked the car, the others walked into the grounds. Soon they heard the first strains of carnival music and were approached by vendors of popcorn, balloons, and toy