Bess laughed. "That'll be easy enough for me. I can act silly any time, but Nancy will really have to play the part."

Mr. Drew asked to be excused, "I must get back to my office for another case."

After he had gone, the telephone rang and Nancy hurried to answer it in the hall.

"Is this the Drew home?" a man's voice asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"The River Heights Trick Shop. I want to speak to the girl who bought the crocodile."

Nancy motioned to George and handed her the receiver.

"Hello?" George said.

"Are you the girl who bought the crocodile?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You're in great danger!" the man told her. "The boy who was working here gave you a live one by mistake."

"What!" George cried out.

"Bring it back right away," the man ordered. "If you don't, the police will arrest you!"

George was aghast. She could be put in jail for five years or be fined twenty thousand dollars!

Nancy, who had overheard the conversation, looked toward the box on the table. Her father had not bothered to put the lid on after examining the crocodile. Now the reptile was climbing out of the container!

It opened its jaws wide. Though the crocodile was only a baby, there was no doubt about its viciousness. It could easily snap off someone's finger!

Just then the other girls in the room noticed that the crocodile had escaped from its container. As Nancy dashed toward it, George froze and Bess screamed in fear!

CHAPTER IINew Names

Mrs. Hannah Gruen, the Drews' housekeeper, heard the commotion and rushed in from the kitchen. By now the baby crocodile lay at the edge of the table, making low hissing sounds.

Hannah backed away in alarm, even though she usually had plenty of courage when confronted with a crisis. A middle-aged woman, she had brought Nancy up after Mrs. Drew's death, when Nancy was three years old. Since then kindly Mrs. Gruen had fostered the girl's natural instinct to face danger without flinching.