The Secret of the Old Clock · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.
Chapter 1
The Lost Will
Nancy Drew learns from her father, Carson Drew, about the suspicious circumstances surrounding Josiah Crowley's will, which left his entire fortune to the snobbish Topham family. Nancy suspects a missing second will and persuades her father to investigate by questioning attorney Mr. Rolsted.
Chapter 2
II: A Chance Meeting
Nancy Drew learns from a luncheon with her father and Mr. Rolsted that Josiah Crowley may have drawn up a second will cutting out the Tophams. Despite lacking clues, she becomes determined to find the missing will. Later, while shopping, she overhears Ada and Isabel Topham rudely demanding service, confirming their entitlement.
Chapter 3
III: Racing the Storm
Nancy Drew agrees to deliver legal documents to Judge Hartgrave in Masonville for her father. After completing the errand and having lunch with the judge, she decides to take the scenic River Road home despite threatening clouds. A violent storm catches her on the road, forcing her to take shelter in a dilapidated barn. There she meets a girl her own age who speaks with a cultured voice and lives in isolation. Nancy senses an unusual story behind the girl and her circumstances.
Chapter 4
An Interesting Story
Nancy Drew meets the Horner sisters, Grace and Allie, during a storm and learns about their connection to Josiah Crowley. The sisters share their belief that Crowley intended to leave them an inheritance, but the Tophams inherited everything. Nancy offers to involve her father, a lawyer, to help uncover the truth.
Chapter 5
V: A Conference
Nancy and her father, Carson Drew, meet with the Horner sisters to discuss the missing will of Josiah Crowley. The sisters reveal that Crowley hinted at hiding a second will, possibly in the Topham house. Carson Drew agrees to help but warns that without the will, little can be done. Nancy remains determined to find a way to secure the inheritance for the Horners.
Chapter 6
VI: An Unpleasant Encounter
Nancy Drew, troubled by her inability to help the Horner sisters, takes her father's advice to go shopping. In a department store, she witnesses Ada Topham knock over and break an expensive imported vase, then falsely accuse the saleswoman. Nancy intervenes, forcing Ada to pay for the damage. Later, in the park, Nancy accidentally overhears Ada and Isabel Topham discussing 'the will,' sparking her detective instincts as she secretly listens for information about Josiah Crowley's missing will.
Chapter 7
VII: Nancy Turns Sleuth
Nancy overhears Ada and Isabel Topham discussing the possibility of a second will and their hostility toward her involvement with the Horner sisters. Encouraged that the will may not have been destroyed, she resolves to find it before the Tophams can suppress it. She visits her father, Carson Drew, who supports her plan to contact other relatives of Josiah Crowley for clues, and she decides to first consult the Horner girls for names.
Chapter 8
VIII: A Discouraging Day
Nancy visits the Horner sisters, then the Mathews brothers and Turner sisters, seeking information about Josiah Crowley's missing will. She learns little concrete evidence but gains leads about Abigail Rowen. Despite discouragement, she offers to help the Horners by commissioning a dress from Grace.
Chapter 9
IX: Vital Information
Nancy Drew visits the dilapidated home of Abigail Rowen, who has fallen and injured herself. Nancy tends to her needs, buys groceries and bandages, and learns that Abigail knew Josiah Crowley and believes he made a second will that provided for her. Abigail recalls seeing the will but cannot remember where it was hidden, though the chiming of a clock triggers a vague memory.
Chapter 10
X: Abigail's Disclosure
Nancy Drew visits Abigail Rowen, who reveals that Josiah Crowley hid a notebook containing the location of his second will. Abigail recalls that the notebook was hidden in a family clock, which likely went to the Tophams. Nancy theorizes the notebook is still inside the clock and must find a way to search the Topham residence. Later, she meets Helen Corning, who is selling charity tickets for a dance. Nancy buys two tickets and then offers to sell the rest, seeing them as a pretext to gain entry to the Topham house.
Chapter 11
Visiting the Tophams
Nancy Drew visits the Topham residence under the pretense of selling charity dance tickets. She endures the rudeness of Mrs. Topham and her daughters, Ada and Isabel, but cleverly extracts the information that the Crowley clock has been sent to the family's bungalow at Moon Lake. Richard Topham unexpectedly buys all her tickets, but Nancy leaves satisfied, having achieved her real goal.
Chapter 12
XII: Following a Clue
Nancy Drew devises a plan to visit Moon Lake to investigate the Topham bungalow and the old Crowley clock. She uses a friend's camp as a cover, stops to comfort the Horner sisters who are facing financial hardship, and upon arrival at Camp Avondale, she joins a launch ride to locate the Topham cottage.
Chapter 13
An Adventure
Nancy Drew plans to visit the Topham cottage but is delayed by social obligations with Helen Corning and friends. She finally escapes to take a launch across the lake, but the engine fails, stranding her for hours. After many attempts, she restarts the engine and returns to camp at dusk, sunburned and disappointed at losing the day.
Chapter 14
An Exciting Discovery
Nancy Drew abruptly leaves camp to investigate the Topham bungalow, only to find it ransacked by robbers. She deduces that a moving van was used to strip the house of valuables, including the Crowley clock, and fears the thieves may still be nearby.
Chapter 15
XV: A Desperate Situation
Nancy Drew, investigating the Topham bungalow, realizes the Crowley clock has been stolen. She decides to report the robbery but is trapped when a robber arrives. She hides in a closet, watching the gang strip the house. A sneeze reveals her hiding place, and the leader captures her. Despite her fierce struggle, he locks her in the closet, threatening her with the same fate as the missing caretaker.
Chapter 16
Left to Starve
Nancy Drew is locked in a closet by a robber and left to starve. After initial panic, she tries to pick the lock with a hairpin, then uses a wooden rod to pry the hinges. As she nearly escapes, she is startled by footsteps; Jeff Tucker, the caretaker, has arrived, thinking she is a robber. He cannot find the key to let her out.
Chapter 17
XVII: Jeff Tucker’s Story
Nancy is freed from the closet by Jeff Tucker, the Tophams' caretaker, who reveals he was lured away by a mysterious white man in a sedan and plied with drink, allowing robbers to steal the furniture—including the old Crowley clock. Nancy learns from Jeff that the clock was indeed in the house, confirms its theft, and after a frustrating delay while Jeff sobers up, they set off to report the robbery and recover the clock.
Chapter 18
Notifying the Police
Nancy Drew races to Melbourne to report the Topham bungalow robbery to the marshal. With Jeff Tucker's corroboration, she leads the police in pursuit, but at a fork in the road she splits off toward Garwin. After losing the trail, she backtracks to a disreputable roadhouse called The Black Horse, where she peers through a window and spots the three robbers inside.
Chapter 19
XIX: A Risky Undertaking
Nancy spots the three robbers and decides to retrieve the Crowley clock from their van before notifying the marshal. She finds the van locked in a barn behind the inn, locates the keys under the seat, and discovers the clock inside. As she grabs it, the robbers return, forcing her to lock the van and hide.
Chapter 20
XX: What Nancy Found
Nancy Drew hides in a manger as three robbers return to the barn, narrowly escaping detection. After they leave, she retrieves the Crowley clock and flees to her roadster. Driven by curiosity, she examines the clock and discovers a tiny blue notebook hidden behind its face, confirming her hopes.
Chapter 21
Capturing the Robbers
Nancy retrieves Josiah Crowley's notebook from the clock, then races to alert the marshal. A high-speed chase ensues, the robbers' van overturns, and the criminals are captured. Nancy identifies the leader as the man who trapped her, but asks the marshal to keep her name out of the case to avoid involving Mrs. Topham.
Chapter 22
XXII: What the Notebook Revealed
Nancy returns home with the Crowley clock and discovers a hidden notebook inside it. The notebook reveals that Josiah Crowley's last will is in a safety deposit box under the name Josiah Harkston at the Masonville National Bank. Nancy shares her findings with her father, Carson Drew, who agrees to help secure a court order to open the box. They discuss the implications for the Horner sisters and Abigail Rowen, and the potential downfall of the Tophams.
Chapter 23
Looking for the Will
Nancy oversleeps and hurries to meet her father, who has obtained a court order to search for Josiah Crowley's will. They travel to Masonville and, after some difficulty with the bank, access a safety deposit box rented under the name Josiah Harkston. Inside they find Crowley's will, which appears to mention Grace and Allie Horner and Abigail Rowen but not the Tophams. They plan to have the will examined for legality before revealing it.
Chapter 24
The Coup de Grâce
The second will of Josiah Crowley is read at the Drew home, revealing that the Horner sisters and Abigail Rowen receive substantial inheritances while the Tophams are cut off entirely. The Tophams react with fury and threaten to contest the will, but their own lawyer admits it is valid. The relatives express gratitude to Nancy, and the Horner sisters leave with the Crowley clock, hinting at a future reward for Nancy.
Chapter 25
A Reward
Months after the Crowley will reading, Nancy learns the Tophams are bankrupt and moving to a small house. She visits the Horner sisters, who have transformed their farm into a thriving chicken business. They offer her a reward for finding the will, but Nancy asks only for the old Crowley clock, which she treasures as a memento of her first detective adventure.
