Free The Scarlet Slipper Mystery by Carolyn Keene Page B

it. I’d be willing to sell it to you for a small profit.”
    Trying hard not to show her elation, she asked the price.
    “Thirty-five dollars,” the Elite owner replied.
    “I’ll buy the picture,” Nancy said. She opened her purse and paid him.
    Nancy recalled the price Renee had paid Henri for the work. It was many times that amount. She was curious about the person from whom Mr. Harlan had bought the painting.
    “Would you mind telling me who sold you the painting?” she asked.
    “Not at all, but six months is a long time to remember details. A man with reddish hair came into the school and offered me the picture. The price was right, so I bought it.”
    Reddish hair, Nancy thought. This did not fit Judson or Warte, who had fraudulently sold the bisque dolls, or Renee, but one of them might have been wearing a wig!
    “Did the man have a foreign accent?” she said. “And did he give his name?”
    “No,” Mr. Harlan answered to both questions. “Is something the matter with the painting?”
    “Certainly not,” said Nancy quickly. “But it isn’t signed and I wondered if the man had claimed to be the artist.”
    “I think not,” Mr. Harlan answered.
    “Thank you,” Nancy said, and bidding him good-by, she carried the picture to the car. Bess and George exclaimed in delight and examined the portrait while Nancy took the wheel.
    “It’s a wonderful likeness of Helene,” said Bess. “How did the Elite School get the painting?”
    Nancy explained and then said, “I want to make sure this is the original. I’ll take the painting to Henri and Helene.”
    “Perhaps they’ll be able to identify the red-haired man,” George suggested.
    The girls stopped for a quick lunch and then went on to Cedar Lake. When they arrived and presented the canvas, the Fontaines were overwhelmed.
    “Oh, Nancy, how did you ever find it?” Helene exclaimed. “You are so wonderful!”
    “Indeed you are,” Henri echoed. “Please tell us everything quickly.”
    “First, Henri, tell me whether this is the portrait you painted,” Nancy requested, “or a copy of it?”
    After an examination in a strong light, the artist declared it was his original work.
    “But someone has tampered with the picture!” he declared. “The original paint in several spots has been removed, and replaced with new pigment.”
    The girls, amazed, looked at the areas of thickly applied impasto that the artist pointed out.
    Instantly Nancy remembered the palette knife Judson had dropped at her house. Was he the one who had tampered with the painting? And if so, why?

CHAPTER XII
    A Rewarding Hunt
    HENRI Fontaine was excited and concerned about the portrait of his sister that had been tampered with.
    “It spoils the whole outline of the ruffle, and look what it does to the toe of the slipper,” he said. “A botch!”
    “Only an expert would know that,” George stated. “I think it’s a lovely painting.”
    “It’s beautiful,” Bess said. “And it looks so real, Helene. Just like you.”
    But the cousins’ remarks failed to mollify the Fontaines. “Someone ruined this painting,” said Henri angrily. “But why? Why?”
    “Perhaps the paint was used to cover something that was smuggled into the country,” Nancy said. “A message, an important chemical formula, or even jewels.”
    Bess looked skeptical. “How could jewels be hidden in paint?”
    Before Nancy could answer, Henri cried excitedly, “Of course they could! I’ll show you.”
    His eyes roved over the outfit each of the three girls was wearing. Finally his glance settled on a novelty pin Bess wore on her blouse.
    “May I use this for an experiment?” he asked. “I’ll be glad to pay for it.”
    “That’s not necessary,” said Bess, handing him the pin. “It’s just a piece of inexpensive costume jewelry.”
    Immediately the young artist started prying loose the settings and took out several of the stones. They were of various sizes, the largest equal to a