Nancy was not prepared, however, for what came next. The man edged closer to her, glanced quickly about to see that no one was close by, and muttered in a guttural tone:

"Any word from the Chief?"

Nancy was taken completely by surprise. She knew she had never seen the man before, for she would not have forgotten such a cruel face. His steel-gray eyes bored straight into her. Nancy was so bewildered she could think of nothing to say.

The stranger realized at once that he had made a mistake. "Excuse me, miss. My error," he murmured, starting for the car ahead. "But that perfume- Well, never mind!"

CHAPTER IIMysterious Numbers

Nancy stared after the stranger and wondered what he could have meant.

"Evidently he mistook me for somebody else," she thought. "But even so, his actions certainly were peculiar."

What message had he expected to receive from her? Who was the Chief? How strange that the man should speak of the perfume as though it had been the cause of his mistake!

If Nancy's mind had not been occupied with the frail girl's condition, she might have wondered more over the strange encounter. She dismissed it for the moment. Quickly filling a cup with ice water, she rushed back to George and Bess, who were giving first aid to the girl.

"Do you feel better now?" Nancy asked. "Here, drink this."

"Thank you," the girl murmured, gratefully taking the cup. "I feel much better now," she added quietly. "It was very kind of you to help me."

"It must have been the perfume that made you faint," George declared. "A little is all right, but half a bottle is overpowering."

"I'm sure it wasn't the perfume," the girl returned quickly. "I haven't felt well since I first boarded the train early this morning."