The next morning Nancy and her father enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. He praised her for hitting upon the key to the code but agreed that solving the rest of it would be difficult.

"Keep at it," he advised, smiling fondly at his daughter. "By the way, I won't be home to lunch or dinner today because of this Clifton case."

"I thought I'd visit Joanne and try to cheer her up," Nancy said. "Do you, by any chance, know anyone who's looking for an office girl?" she added.

Mr. Drew shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I don't. But if I hear of anything I'll let you know."

"I feel that Joanne isn't the type to be in the hectic business world," Nancy remarked. "If it weren't that she wants to help her grandmother, I doubt that she'd even try for a city position."

After Carson Drew had left for his office. Nancy busied herself around the house, helping Hannah. When the housework was finally done, Nancy settled herself in an easy chair and delved into the code book once more. But she found no new hints to help break her own set of numbers.

Nancy, Bess, and George had planned to start for Riverside Heights early in the afternoon, so as soon as the luncheon dishes had been cleared away. Nancy was off to pick up the other girls. By two-thirty they had reached Joanne's rooming house.

The landlady answered Nancy's knock on the front door and informed her that Joanne had left two hours before to see about a job. She would be back at three o'clock. The woman invited the girls in, but the living room looked so dark and dreary that they preferred to wait outside in the car.

"It's too bad Joanne has to stay in a dismal place like that," Nancy remarked, "especially when she's accustomed to farm life."

"I sure hope she finds something," Bess added. "Maybe luck will be with her today."