# The Theft explained — The Hidden Staircase

> Chapter companion for The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene.

## What happens

Nancy worries about her father's failure to return from Chicago and sends a telegram to his law firm, which confirms he left two days ago. The silver urn is stolen from the mansion, and Nancy searches for clues but finds none. The Turnbull sisters consider leaving the house, but Nancy resolves to stay and solve the mystery.

## Themes in this chapter

### Mystery and the Supernatural

The theft of the silver urn deepens the mansion's mystery, with Floretta attributing it to a ghost, though Nancy suspects a human thief.

### Family and Heritage

The silver urn is a cherished family heirloom passed down through generations, and its loss deeply distresses the Turnbull sisters.

### Independence and Agency

Nancy takes decisive action by sending a telegram to Chicago and conducting her own investigation, despite her growing worry about her father.

## Character check-ins

### Nancy Drew

Grows increasingly anxious about her father's absence; sends a telegram to Chicago; investigates the theft of the silver urn; resolves to stay at the mansion until the mystery is solved.

### Rosemary Turnbull

Discovers the silver urn is missing; expresses fear and considers leaving the mansion; stays up all night with Nancy and Floretta after the theft.

### Floretta Turnbull

Laments the loss of the family heirloom; believes a ghost is responsible; too nervous to sleep after the theft.

### Carson Drew

Mentioned as having left Chicago two days ago; his failure to communicate causes Nancy great worry.

### Hannah Gruen

Speaks with Nancy by telephone; reports that she has not heard from Carson Drew since he left.

## Key lines

> The silver urn is gone! ... Someone has taken it! And it can never be replaced.

Rosemary exclaims that the silver urn has been stolen and is irreplaceable.

_Highlights the shock and loss felt by the Turnbull sisters upon discovering the theft._

> I have the strangest feeling. It’s just as though something had happened to Dad.

Nancy confesses her uneasy intuition that something bad has befallen her father.

_Shows Nancy's growing anxiety and foreshadows the troubling telegram._

> Carson Drew left here two days ago.

The telegram from the Chicago law firm states that Carson Drew departed two days earlier.

_Confirms Nancy's worst fears about her father's disappearance._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hidden_staircase_se/chapters/xii-the-theft
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hidden_staircase_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_hidden_staircase_se/chapters