CHAPTER XII. A Startling Discovery

CHAPTER XII

A Startling Discovery

THE three jumbo elephants, guided by their trainer, had entered the ring directly in front of the section where Nancy and her friends were seated. The man turned to bow low to the audience.

“That isn’t Rai, after all, ” Nancy murmured.

Hearing this, Rishi raised his head, and watched in fascination as the huge animals performed a series of perfectly executed stunts. In the final number, they climbed up on one another’s backs to form a pyramid, as acrobats do.

As the applause died away, the beasts got down and lined up for a bow. The clapping was thunderous. Then, as the animals were about to trot from the ring, there was a sudden change from their placid attitude. The largest one stopped, raised his trunk, and began to trumpet loudly.

“Something is wrong! ” Rishi cried. “That’s old Arun! ”

By now the elephant was making a beeline for a certain block of seats. The trainer was yelling at the animal. Guards were shouting, “Look out! He’ll crush you! ” and trying to keep the other beasts from stampeding.

Then someone yelled, “Arun smells Rai! He hates him! ”

Rishi was already stepping across his friends’ feet to get to the aisle. He reached it, leaped down the steps, and vaulted into the arena.

Nancy was alarmed. If Rai saw him, he might claim the boy and take him away before Rishi could find his rightful father!

She dashed after him but this was not necessary. Rai had left his seat hurriedly and scooted up the stairway to an exit. He disappeared.

By this time Rishi had reached the angry elephant and between trumpetings called softly to him. Old Arun stopped knocking over chairs in a front-row box and trying to step up among the panic-stricken, fleeing viewers.

“Arun! Arun! ” Rishi pleaded, and added some soothing words in Hindi.

The elephant stopped his noisy outcries and backed up. Rishi gave a flying leap onto the elephant’s back and sat down just behind the animal’s head. Arun docilely joined his fellow elephants, and they all plodded peacefully out of the arena to the thunderous applause of the audience.

Nancy returned to her seat and ten minutes later Rishi came back. Everyone smiled at him but refrained from talking until the show was over. Then they praised him loudly, but the boy from India begged them to stop.

“Rishi glad to help. Lucky Rai not killed by Arun. ”

“And you’re lucky, ” said George, “that Rai didn’t have a chance to take you away. ”

Mr. Drew’s group went to his car and drove off. It was late afternoon. The roads were still jammed with cars and the trip took longer than it would have under normal conditions. Consulting his watch, Mr. Drew announced that it was dinnertime.

“Let’s stop at the next restaurant, ” he proposed.

The young people eagerly assented. In spite of the peanuts and popcorn they had eaten, they were hungry. Half a mile farther, Nancy noticed a brilliantly lighted restaurant just off the road.

“It looks all right, ” Mr. Drew commented, turning in at the driveway. “We may as well try it. ”

They entered the main dining room, which was only half filled with guests. The group found a table for five near the window. After Nancy had made her selection from the menu, she glanced around at the other diners.

“There’s Mrs. Allison! ” she said quietly. The others turned to stare.

“It is! ” George agreed. “And she’s with Steve Roach. ”

“I’d like to talk to her, ” Nancy said impulsively.

“Perhaps you’d better wait, ” Mr. Drew cautioned. “Mrs. Allison and her friend seem to be having an argument. ”

The couple talked earnestly together, totally oblivious to the others in the room. Their voices rose higher and higher until Nancy and her friends caught enough to deduce that they were discussing the sale of Mrs. Allison’s property.

“The argument seems to be nearly over now, ” Nancy observed presently. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go talk to them. ”

She approached the table at the opposite side of the room and spoke the woman’s name. Recognizing the girl, Mrs. Allison made a pretense of welcoming her. Steve Roach scowled openly as he rose and offered Nancy a chair.

“I must apologize for interrupting your conversation, ” Nancy said, “but I have a rather important matter to discuss with you. ”

“Perhaps another time——” Mrs. Allison began.

“Oh, I didn’t mean that I wanted to talk with you here, but I’m eager to get your present address so I can find you. ”

Mrs. Allison and her companion exchanged swift glances, which were not lost on Nancy.

“I move about from place to place, ” the woman answered vaguely.

“But surely you have a postal address. There must be some way for me to communicate with you. ”

“Just write a letter in care of General Delivery, River Heights, ” Mrs. Allison said.

Nancy was annoyed. The woman apparently did not wish to give out any information regarding her whereabouts. Nancy realized it would be useless to pursue the matter further, so she rose and said good-by. As Nancy returned to her own table, Mrs. Allison and Steve Roach immediately left the restaurant, without finishing their dinner.

“Where’s Rishi? ” Nancy asked, noticing that he had left the table and apparently taken his plate of food with him.

Mr. Drew shrugged. “He excused himself and said he would meet us at the car. ”

“Probably, ” George spoke up, “he didn’t want Mrs. Allison or Roach to see him. ”

Her statement proved to be true. When the Drews and their friends returned to the car, they found Rishi seated on the floor of the rear seat.

“Excuse Rishi, please, ” he said. “Not wish to meet people Nancy speak to. ”

“I understand, ” Mr. Drew replied, and nothing more was said.

Bess carried the empty dishes back into the restaurant; then the group set off for River Heights. That evening Rishi studied for a short time before going to bed. Nancy briefed Hannah on the day’s events.

“I have a little news, too, ” the housekeeper said. “A phone call came for Rishi. It was a man who didn’t give his name. All I said was, ‘There’s no one here by that name, ’ and he hung up. ”

“Good for you, Hannah, ” said Nancy. “But someone must suspect he’s here. We’ll have to guard him very carefully. ” The housekeeper nodded.

The following morning, after Mr. Drew had left, Rishi went back to his studies. Hannah asked Nancy to do some marketing. The housekeeper went out to the garden to pick fresh flowers for the house. She found some weeds near the garage and decided to pull them.

“Oh, there’s the phone, ” Hannah told herself.

She started for the back porch. By this time the bell had stopped ringing, so she turned back to her work. By the time she had finished, Nancy drove in and the two went into the kitchen to prepare lunch and chat.

“I’ll call Rishi, ” Nancy offered, going to the foot of the front stairs.

The boy did not reply, so she mounted the steps and went to his room. It was empty. Not only was Rishi not there, but an open closet door revealed that his clothes were missing.

“Rishi has run away! ” Nancy thought.

She looked for a note but none was in sight. Nancy opened the bureau and desk drawers. Still no explanation for the boy’s disappearance. Suddenly she recalled the ringing telephone about which Hannah had told her. She raced downstairs.

“Hannah, ” Nancy cried out, “I’m afraid Rishi has been kidnapped! ”

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