The Ringmasters Secret

"Captain Smith," Nancy said, "will you go with me and my aunt to the shop where she purchased the bracelet? I'm sure that the owner will be able to identify the one you're holding if it is the original."

The officer said he would be glad to accompany them. He made arrangements to meet Nancy and her aunt in twenty minutes.

At the appointed time the three walked into the shop. After hearing their story, Mr. Abrams, the shop owner, made a quick examination of the bracelet and confirmed the captain's theory that it had been tampered with recently.

Using a special powder and a piece of chamois, he began to rub the bracelet. Presently the stain which had been used on it began to rub off. In a few minutes the bracelet looked exactly as Nancy remembered it, except for the addition of the sixth horse.

"Whoever put this one charm on," said Mr. Abrams, "was an amateur. This was a hurried, clumsy job."

Nancy's thoughts flew at once to Mr. and Mrs. Kroon. Had the woman attached it and wrapped the bracelet for mailing while George and Little Will had been acting as lookouts at the trailer? Had the Kroons stolen the original charm from Lolita's necklace some time ago and kept it, hoping to locate the valuable bracelet and attach the missing horse, and sell the jewelry at a high price?

"Mr. Abrams," said Nancy, "would you mind looking in your records and telling me where you purchased the bracelet?"

"I'd be very glad to," the shop owner said, smiling.

He disappeared into a back room and was gone for some time. Finally he returned and handed Nancy a piece of paper.

"I purchased the bracelet from a London pawnshop," he said. "Here's the name and address."

Nancy and the others thanked Mr. Abrams for his information and left the shop. When they reached the sidewalk, Captain Smith gave Nancy the bracelet. She thanked him and asked the captain if he would cable the shop in London and find out who had signed the pawn ticket.

"Certainly," Captain Smith said, "only I believe I'll do it through the London police. But it will take hours."

The following morning Nancy waited impatiently for a call from Captain Smith. He telephoned her about eleven o'clock.

"It begins to look as though you were getting somewhere in your mystery, Miss Drew," he said. "The pawn ticket was signed with a nervous scrawl which was hardly legible. The pawnshop owner thought it looked something like Laura Flynn."

"Oh, it could have been Lola Flanders!" Nancy cried excitedly.

"I believe you're right," the captain agreed. "The ticket was signed three years ago. The shop keeps things for only two years. That's why they were able to sell it."

After putting down the telephone receiver, Nancy continued to think about this latest news. Suddenly her eyes sparkled. She picked up the telephone and dialed long-distance. Nancy gave the operator the number of her father's office. When he answered, she told him what she had discovered since her arrival in New York. Then suddenly she said:

"Dad, will you fly to London with me right away?"

CHAPTER XXA Vicious Trick

There was an exclamation of surprise on the other end of the telephone as Mr. Drew asked Nancy if he had heard her correctly.

"Did you say 'Let's fly to London?'"

"That's right, Dad. How about it? You need a vacation, anyhow, and you can help me solve the mystery. Who knows, we may find Lolita's mother and bring her back with us."

The lawyer laughed. "You're very persuasive, Nancy. Let me think a minute."

Nancy could hear her father mumbling. Here and there she caught a word which she recognized as the names of various clients. Presently Mr. Drew said:

"All right, Nancy. We'll go. I have some important things pending, but they can wait a week or so."

"Oh, Dad, you're a sweetheart!" Nancy told him. "When can you get here?"

"I might as well leave right now," he said. "I can catch the night plane from here. Suppose you see if you can get reservations for tomorrow."

Nancy said she would call him back as soon as she found out.

"In the meantime, Dad, will you please try to find out if there have been any new developments in Sims' Circus?"

"I can answer part of your query right now," her father replied. "Bess called here a little while ago. She said that Lolita had been in touch with her. The poor girl is very unhappy. Kroon is keeping her virtually a prisoner. What's worse, he has dismissed Pietro."

"That is bad news," Nancy remarked. "Where is Pietro?"

Mr. Drew said that he did not know. Kroon did not permit Lolita to receive mail or telephone calls of any kind. She had made the call to Bess through Erika.

"Lolita is hoping that Pietro will get in touch with Bess, and that Bess will be able to forward the message to Erika."

Since this was all the information the lawyer could give Nancy at the moment, they said good-by. Nancy at once got in touch with the airport to find out about reservations. She was told that there were no seats available, but that she would be notified should any cancellations come in.

Nancy waited impatiently. Finally she decided to phone her father to tell him that it would not be necessary for him to take the evening plane from River Heights.

"When is the next one you could get?" his daughter asked.

Mr. Drew said that one left at two in the morning. It would arrive in New York in plenty of time to catch the afternoon overseas plane.

"Call me again if you have any luck with reservations," he directed her. "By the way, I have more news for you. The police interviewed Kroon about the package to Lola Flanders. The man insisted that he never had anything to do with sending a package to a Lola Flanders and knew no one by that name."

"But what about the boy who mailed the package for him?" Nancy questioned.

"Oh, he's exonerated," Mr. Drew replied. "The boy says he mailed a package for Mr. Kroons all right, but he didn't read the name and address on it."

As she put down the receiver, Nancy wondered whether the boy had been coached by Kroon to say that he had not looked at the address. Three hours later the telephone rang. Nancy hurried to it and was delighted to learn that the call was from the airport.

"I have your two reservations, Miss Drew," the young woman at the other end of the wire informed her.

"When will I have to pick them up?" Nancy asked. "And may I get them here in the city?"

She was told that she must claim them by noon of the following day and that she could pick them up at the airline's office in the heart of the city.

"I'll do that," answered Nancy.

She immediately telephoned her father and told him the good news. He said he was glad to hear it because he had been looking forward to a vacation with his daughter.

"We're so rarely alone," he said. Then he laughed. "I shan't have you all to myself until we're actually on the plane. Ned is coming with me to see us off." Mr. Drew added that he would bring along their passports and other papers necessary for the trip.

Nancy smiled as she hung up. It would be nice having a little send-off party with Ned and Aunt Eloise at the airport.

She and her aunt arose early in order to meet the plane from River Heights. To her amazement, not only did her father and Ned step off the airliner, but Pietro as well.

"Oh, it's good to see you, Pietro!" Nancy cried.

Ned looked as if he did not wholly approve of Nancy's extremely friendly greeting to the clown. And a frown creased his forehead when Pietro announced that he was going to London with the Drews to see his father.

After Pietro had been introduced to Aunt Eloise, the group found a taxi and drove to Miss Drew's apartment. Ned made it plain that he wanted to absorb as much of Nancy's attention as possible. With the excuse that he wanted to do some shopping, Ned finally managed to get her away from the apartment.

While they were having lunch in a cozy restaurant, he suddenly warned Nancy not to get any crazy ideas about staying in England permanently.

"Why, Ned," she said, "what a funny thing to say!"

"It's not funny at all," Ned argued. "I understand Pietro is going to stay over there."

Then Nancy caught on. She started to laugh and could not seem to stop.

"Why, Ned Nickerson, you old ninny!" she said. "Just because Kroon has told Lolita that she can't marry Pietro, there's no reason why he should want to marry me."

"I'm not so sure," said Ned. "Way off in s foreign country after a flight across the ocean—"

"Now, Ned, you're just being silly," said Nancy sternly. "I'll come back to the good old U.S.A. and bring Lola Flanders with me."

"Is that a promise?" Ned asked her, reaching across the table for her hand. Then she put her own hand in his and said, "Yes, that's a promise."

Picking up her fork once more, Nancy suddenly smiled. She reminded Ned that she had just promised to bring back Lola Flanders.

"How I hope that will come true!" she said.

As soon as luncheon was over, Nancy insisted upon returning to the apartment. She said that she wanted to telephone Captain Smith and find out what more had been learned about the Tristam Booking Agency. When they got back, she put in the call at once.

"I think we have a rather important clue," the officer told her. "Our men have been watching the mail which has been arriving for Lola Flanders. She has been receiving dividend checks in rather large amounts."

The captain went on to say that it seemed very strange for a young dancer of Lola Flanders' apparent wealth to be tied up with a second-rate booking agency. And furthermore, why would she have this kind of mail sent to the agency, anyway?

Nancy had formed her own conclusions on this matter. It seemed to her proof that Reinhold Kroon was using the agency as a cover-up. He was stealing money which belonged to the real Lola Flanders and using Millie Francine as a front.

As Nancy discussed the latest findings with her father, she remarked, "Do you suppose Millie Francine is innocent and that Kroon and Tristam have given her the name Lola Flanders to make their underhanded schemes seem legitimate?"

Mr. Drew said this was very likely. He hoped that by the time he and his daughter returned from England the police would have found the answer to her question. He looked at his watch.

"We'd better leave now," he told the others.

On the way to the airport, Nancy's heart began to beat a little faster. She was off on another exciting adventure!

The Drews and Pietro checked in. Each had a large suitcase for the baggage compartment and an overnight case to carry. While waiting for the moment when she might board the plane, Nancy and her friends walked outside.

At this moment a six-engine craft swooped in. It was the largest one any of them had ever seen and they watched it in fascination as the pilot landed the great ship.

"My, she's a beauty!" Ned exclaimed admiringly.

Nancy was so intent that for a moment she did not notice a strange man who had joined the group. Then, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she realized he had picked up her overnight bag and was running off with it. Without waiting to tell the others what had happened, she ran after the thief.

"Stop!" she called to him.

He went on and now was holding the case in front of him. As Nancy lessened the distance between herself and the fleeing man, she thought he was trying to open the bag which was not locked. Why? Surely there was nothing in it worth removing.

"Stop!" Nancy shouted again.

Bystanders, thinking she was merely trying to attract the man's attention did not interfere, so finally Nancy cried:

"Stop, thief!"

This time the command was heeded. The man dropped the bag and fled. Nancy picked it up and started to follow the thief but decided it probably would be a long chase and she might miss the plane.

Noticing that a corner of her pink-flowered robe was protruding from the bag, Nancy was sure the man had opened it. She must find out what he was up to!

Nancy hurried into a women's lounge and sat down in a chair. As the attendant looked on, Nancy put the overnight case on her lap and opened it wide.

Acrid fumes rose from among the disarrayed clothes and toilet articles. An open bottle lay in their midst. Before Nancy could close down the lid, she began to cough and choke. The next moment, the acid affected her eyes.

"I can't see!" Nancy groaned in alarm.

CHAPTER XXIA Lucky Hunch

At Nancy's outcry, the attendant rushed forward, "What's the trouble, miss?" she asked.

"My eyes!" Nancy repeated. "Someone put acid in my bag. Oh, please do something!"

The frightened attendant said she would take Nancy to the first-aid station. Guiding the stricken girl through the waiting room with one hand and carrying her bag in the other, the woman led Nancy to the airport's infirmary. A nurse hurried forward to take charge.

Nancy quickly explained what had happened, and at once she and her bag were taken into the doctor's office.

The odor of the fumes was very evident and the physician recognized them at once. He took down a bottle of oily fluid and gauze sponges from a shelf. Soaking a sponge, he dabbed it on her eyes.

"Take that bag out in the fresh air!" he ordered.

The nurse hurriedly went off with it. The physician continued to work on Nancy. Presently she was able to see but only dimly.

"Will my sight be permanently impaired?" she asked fearfully.

"No, fortunately. If you had spilled the acid in your eyes, you would have been blinded. But the fumes merely affected them momentarily."

The soothing medication did its work well, and in a few minutes Nancy was able to see distinctly again. She thanked the physician for his quick help.

"I'm glad I was handy," he said, smiling. Then he sobered. "Would you mind telling me why you were carrying that deadly acid with you?"

Nancy told as much of the story as she felt was advisable. The physician's eyebrows raised in amazement.

"So you're a girl detective?" he said admiringly. "The man who tried to harm you ought to be jailed for maliciousness."

Outside, Mr. Drew and his companions wondered what had happened to Nancy. She had disappeared so suddenly while they were looking at the incoming plane that they had not noticed where she had gone.

"She probably went to telephone again," Ned said.

"Well, I wish she'd get back," Mr. Drew remarked. "We'll be taking off in a few minutes."

Ned had been staring at a rather unusual sight a short distance away. A woman's overnight bag lay wide open, and a white uniformed nurse and a policeman were examining its contents.

Ned laughed and pointed out the scene to Miss Drew. "That has all the earmarks of a mystery," he said. "Nancy ought to be here to solve it."

But Aunt Eloise did not smile. She had recognized the pink-flowered dressing robe which she knew belonged to Nancy, and told the others.

"What could have happened?" Miss Drew said, worried.

The whole group hurried over to the policeman and inquired what the trouble was. He replied in an impatient tone of voice, "Oh, some fool girl was carrying a bottle of deadly acid in her bag. It got uncorked somehow. A doc in the first-aid station is taking care of her."

"What!" Mr. Drew cried. Turning to the nurse, he said he was the girl's father. "Please take us to her at once."

Reaching the infirmary, they burst into the doctor's office.

"Nancy! What happened?" Mr. Drew cried.

Quickly his daughter gave him the correct details.

"The fiend!" Pietro cried out. "I'll give up the trip and find that fellow if it's the last thing I do!"

"That won't be necessary," said Mr. Drew. "The police can take care of him."

The doctor declared that Nancy was all right to travel, so she hurried outside with the others. She could give the policeman only a hazy description of the man who had tampered with her bag, because she had seen little more than his back.

"I'm afraid that's not much identification to go on," Nancy said. She smiled ruefully. "Anyway, he didn't succeed in keeping me from going to England as he probably hoped to do."

Nancy stooped to the ground and looked in dismay at her suitcase. The acid had spilled on some of the articles and the robe was ruined. Luckily, it had not damaged the bag itself, and Nancy was able to retrieve some of her belongings.

Over the loud-speaker came the announcement: "Flight 1205. Passengers for Flight 1205 aboard!"

Mr. Drew turned to his daughter. "Nancy, are you sure you feel well enough to make the trip?"

"I'm perfectly all right, really I am," she replied.

Pietro and the Drews said good-by and found their seats in the plane. A few minutes later the door was closed. The pilot taxied down the runway, then waited for clearance. Finally the overseas airliner roared along the ground and took off gracefully.

Nancy watched from the window as long as land was in sight. Then, as the plane went higher and higher into the clouds, she settled down to read the magazine Aunt Eloise had given her. But reading seemed to hurt her eyes and she decided not to take a chance of straining them. When evening came, Mr. Drew changed seats with Pietro. Nancy asked the clown how long it was since he had seen his father.

"Several years," Pietro answered. "Not since Dad retired. You'll like him," the young man went on. "My father is one of the kindest and most humorous men I have ever known."

The couple discussed the history of the circus at great length—in fact, until Mr. Drew came to invite them to take a stroll with him. They toured the great plane, had dinner, and then decided to have a long night's sleep. The next morning Nancy watched excitedly as they approached the London airport. It amazed her that so little fuss was being made in connection with their arrival. To her the trip had been wonderful and unusual. She realized that to those at the airport the arrival of an overseas plane was an hourly occurrence.

When they landed, Nancy and her companions were among the first to leave the ship. After going through the customs, they walked toward the exit gate. Pietro looked eagerly for his father. Suddenly he saw him and started to run.

Nancy enjoyed watching the joyful reunion as the two men clasped each other in their arms. When the Drews walked up, Pietro introduced his father.

"This is the young lady I wrote you about," the down said, "the one who is trying to straighten out everything so that Lolita and I can be married."

"Then I am doubly glad to meet you, Miss Drew," the older man said, smiling. He shook her hand warmly.

"I'm very glad to meet you," Nancy said. "And you know you're involved in this mystery, too. It was because you thought you saw Lola Flanders in Tewkesbury that we're here."

"But I didn't turn out to be a very good sleuth," Pietro's father said. "Well, let us be on our way. I have made reservations at a quiet hotel."

They took a taxi and soon were riding through the narrow, busy streets of the city.

Pietro told his father what had happened to Nancy just before they took off. A frightened look came over the older man's face and he remarked that he hoped Nancy would be perfectly safe in England.

"Oh, I'll be all right," Nancy insisted. "But you men will have to be patient with me while I do some shopping. That awful man and his acid ruined some rather vital parts of my wardrobe."

After breakfast, the group set off for the shopping trip and a visit to the pawnshop from which Nancy's bracelet had come. When they reached the door of Liberty's Department Store, Mr. Drew suggested that Nancy be given half an hour for her shopping.

"We men will look around and meet you here," he suggested, as he handed her some English currency.

Hurrying from one counter to another, Nancy not only bought the necessary articles for which she had come but several others as well.

"And I ought to pick up a few souvenirs while I'm here," she told herself. "I must get something for Hannah. And George and Bess, too. They were certainly wonderful, helping me on the mystery."

Nancy actually forgot the time, and when she rejoined her companions was profuse in her apology for having kept them waiting twenty minutes.

"You did pretty well at that," her father teased. "Most girls would have taken half a day to do what you did," he said, looking at her many packages.

The pawnshop was not far away. The owner proved to be very helpful. Though it had been three years since the woman who had signed her name as Laura Flynn had visited his shop, he remembered her well.

"I felt so sorry for her," he said. "She seemed frightened and ill at ease. Apparently it was very hard for her to decide to part with the bracelet." When he described her, Nancy was at once reminded of Lolita. Apparently mother and daughter strongly resembled each other.

"She's the one I saw in Tewkesbury, all right!" Mr. Pietro cried.

Nancy wanted to set off at once to look for Lola Flanders. But the others insisted that she should do some sight-seeing in London. And Mr. Drew wanted to call on the lawyer with whom he had communicated. The following morning they set off, however.

Mr. Drew had hired a comfortable car to use during their stay in England. Since it would be a little confusing at first to drive on the left side of the road, Pietro's father offered to take the wheel.

Nancy was charmed with the countryside as they came nearer and nearer to the town of Tewkesbury. Presently Mr. Pietro asked her where she intended to search. He had already made inquiries in every place he could think of.

"I have an idea that Lola Flanders may be in some nursing home," said Nancy.

"That's a good hunch," her father remarked, "Mr. Pietro, how can we go about finding out where the nursing homes are?"

The retired clown suggested that they go to the medical registry. He was sure they could find out there. He drove to the building and went inside with Nancy. They learned that there were two large and eight small nursing homes in the area.

As they went from one to another, Nancy asked if they had a patient by either the name of Lola Flanders or Laura Flynn. After they had inquired at six of them and received a negative reply, everyone in the group except Nancy became discouraged.

"Why, we have four more to investigate," she said cheerfully.

The last home they came to was a very shabby place. The house was in disrepair and in need of painting. Unlike others in the neighborhood, it had a weedy, run-down garden.

The woman who answered Nancy's knock proved to be the owner of the home. Her name was Mrs. Ayres and she was as shabby looking as her place. But in a moment, Nancy forgot all this. One of her patients was named Lola Flanders!

"I've come all the way from the United States to see her," said Nancy excitedly.

Mrs. Ayres stared at the visitor. "Well, it's too bad you went to all that trouble, miss," she said. "You can't see Lola Flanders. She's a victim of amnesia!"

CHAPTER XXIIThe Hunt Narrows

Mrs. Ayres started to close the door of her nursing home.

"Oh, please!" Nancy said hurriedly. "I must talk to you."

The woman rather grudgingly invited Nancy to step inside and ushered her into a dark living room whose furnishings were threadbare and dilapidated.

"Would you mind telling me something about Mrs. Flanders?" Nancy asked, smiling disarmingly. "If she is the person I'm looking for, I know her daughter well. She would like very much to get in touch with her mother."

Mrs. Ayres hesitated a few moments, apparently wanting to be sure that it was safe to talk freely to the stranger. Finally she said:

"Lola Flanders is an American. She worked in a circus. But she had a bad fall. I don't know much about that part of it. First I knew, a man named Jones came here and asked me if I could board Lola. After a while he brought her. That's all there is to the story."

Nancy did not think so. Several questions popped into her mind.

"How long ago was that?"

"Let me see," Mrs. Ayres said. "It was nearly ten years ago."

The date exactly fitted the time when Lolita had been brought to America from Europe by the Kroons!

"Would you mind describing this Mr. Jones to me?" Nancy asked.

Mrs. Ayres's description fitted Reinhold Kroon. The pieces of the puzzle were falling together fast!

"Did Lola Flanders bring any jewelry with her?" Nancy wanted to know.

Mrs. Ayres looked startled at the question. It was fully a minute before she replied. During the interim, Nancy wondered what was going through the woman's mind. Had she been intimidated by Kroon, or was she, too, a partner in the mystery?

"Mr. Jones," the woman began haltingly, "he's kind of slow paying. He never sends checks but shows up here about once a year with the money. But three years ago he didn't show up until very late. I couldn't keep Lola here for nothing—you know how it is," she said apologetically.

Nancy nodded and urged the woman to go on with her story. Mrs. Ayres said that when she had talked to Lola about what they could do, her patient had finally produced a very beautiful bracelet which she had secreted in her luggage.

"Lola and I took a little trip to London to pawn it," she said. "I told her she'd better not use her right name, because the police sometimes get after these pawnshop dealers and she might get in trouble."

"So she used the name of Laura Flynn, didn't she?" Nancy asked.

Mrs. Ayres almost toppled from her chair in surprise. Nancy told her not to be worried—that she had received that very bracelet as a gift and had been trying ever since to find out who the original owner was.

"How long has Mrs. Flanders been an amnesia victim?" she asked.

Mrs. Ayres replied that it was ever since Lola had come to live with her. She was not a victim of complete amnesia—it was more a case of forgetfulness and absent-mindedness than not knowing who she was.

"Every so often she seems to remember things very well," said Mrs. Ayres. "But then her memory fades and for a long period she'll be almost like a child." Mrs. Ayres leaned toward Nancy. "It's almost as though she were afraid the walls would pick up her words. To tell you the truth, Miss Drew, I think maybe the medicine Lola gets has something to do with it."

"She's under a doctor's care?" Nancy questioned.

Mrs. Ayres nodded and said that the physician was not a local man. He came out a couple of times a year from London to see the ex-circus performer. He left a large supply of some white powder which Lola was to take every third day.

Nancy said the woman was no doubt right in her supposition about the medicine.

"It's all right for me to see Mrs. Flanders, isn't it?"

Once more, Mrs. Ayres seemed undecided as to what she should do. But finally she made up her mind.

"I'm ready to wash my hands of the whole thing. I find it hard enough keeping Lola Flanders here on the small amount of money Mr. Jones gives me. Come on, I'll take you to her."

Nancy's pulse quickened as she followed the woman up a narrow, winding stairway. Mrs. Ayres opened one of the bedroom doors and called out:

"Lola, you have a visitor from the United States."

As Nancy walked in, she saw a sweet gray-haired woman seated in an old-fashioned rocker. At once there was no doubt in Nancy's mind that she was looking at Lolita Flanders' mother!

"How do you do, Mrs. Flanders," she said, going forward and shaking hands with the woman. "I've come a long way to see you. How are you feeling?"

"It is very nice to meet you, my dear," Mrs. Flanders said. "I never have any visitors."

Nancy told her that one of her former friends lived not far away. He had seen her at a circus not long before and had tried to speak to her. "But you left rather quickly," said Nancy.

Mrs. Flanders turned searching eyes on Mrs. Ayres. Apparently she did not remember the incident.

"Oh, yes, we went to the circus when it came here," said Mrs. Ayres. "Who is this person you speak of?"

"His name is Pietro," said Nancy, watching Lolita's mother closely.

Mrs. Flanders jumped from her chair. For a few seconds the cloudiness in her eyes seemed to disappear completely.

"Pietro!" she cried excitedly. "How well I remember him! One of the best clowns the circus ever had."

Nancy was thrilled to hear Mrs. Flanders reminisce. But suddenly the woman's face seemed to cloud over.

"What was it you were asking me, my dear?" she said sweetly.

Mrs. Ayres shrugged as if to say, "You see how it is?"

But Nancy was not discouraged. She felt sure that with the right kind of care Lola Flanders' memory might be restored completely.

"I haven't told you," said Nancy, "but I'm a friend of your daughter Lolita."

"Lolita?" Mrs. Flanders frowned, as if she were trying very hard to recall the name.

"Lolita is with Sims' Circus now," Nancy went on. "She's one of the most brilliant aerialists in the United States."

"Little Lolita," Mrs. Flanders said, hardly audibly. "My little Lolita. She died when she was very young."

Nancy was shocked. Apparently Mrs. Flanders had been told that her child was no longer living. Another one of Kroon's tricks!

Nancy decided not to pursue this subject. It might bring painful memories to the girl's mother.

Instead she said, "Mrs. Flanders, a queen once gave you a beautiful bracelet with horse charms, didn't she?"

Again Lola Flanders rose from her chair, and her eyes flashed.

"Yes," she said excitedly. "Mrs. Ayres, where Is my bracelet?"

Nancy motioned the woman not to reply. Pulling up her coat sleeve, Nancy said:

"Mrs. Flanders, is this your bracelet?"

Mrs. Flanders stared at the piece of jewelry as if she were seeing a ghost. Nancy removed the bracelet and put it on Lola Flanders' thin wrist.

As the woman stared at it, all the unnaturalness about her seemed to disappear. She straightened up, lifted her chin, and smiled at Nancy and Mrs. Ayres.

"Please tell me more about this bracelet. You say it is yours, Miss Drew. How did you get it?"

Nancy decided to make the story brief.

"It came from a shop in the States," she said. "An aunt of mine saw it and bought it for me."

Lola Flanders nodded, and Nancy hurried on with her task of awakening the woman's mind completely. Putting an arm about her, she said:

"You have thought so many years that your lovely little girl was no longer living. This isn't true. Lolita is alive and well. She lives in the United States. She's one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen."

On the spur of the moment, Nancy decided not to mention again that she was an aerialist. It might recall Lola's accident to her and have a disastrous effect on her mind.

"My little girl is alive?" Lola Flanders exclaimed happily.

Nancy nodded. "How would you like to see her?" she asked.

This question almost overpowered Lola Flanders. She looked at Mrs. Ayres as if it were necessary to obtain her permission.

The woman smiled and came forward. Taking hold of Lola Flanders' hand, she said:

"This is wonderful news, isn't it? I think you should go and see your daughter."

Nancy now told the women that her father, who was a lawyer, was outside waiting for her. He could arrange the legal steps so that Lola Flanders might accompany them back to the States very soon. Nancy also went on to say that Pietro and his son were waiting with her father.

"Oh, I want to see them!" Lola Flanders said.

Suddenly she looked at her shabby clothes. Then she shook her head. Speaking like an old trouper, she told the others that she could not possibly appear in public until she had something done with her hair and she had a pretty new gown. Nancy and Mrs. Ayres laughed. For the next few moments they helped Lola Flanders array herself as she wished. Nancy helped comb her hair in a more modern and becoming style. From a closet Mrs. Ayres brought out her own best dress. She wore it only to church, she said.

"Put this on," Mrs. Ayres insisted.

Lola Flanders slipped it over her head, and giggling as happily as a girl, she surveyed herself in the mirror.

When she was ready, the former circus performer went downstairs. Nancy hurried outside and brought the men in.

"Lola! Lola! This is wonderful!" the elder Pietro cried, kissing her.

Mrs. Flanders blushed. Then Nancy introduced her father and the younger Pietro.

"How soon could Mrs. Flanders be ready to leave?" Nancy asked Mrs. Ayres.

"Any time," the owner of the nursing home said. "She has very little in the way of baggage. It wouldn't take ten minutes to pack it."

Before Lola Flanders knew what was happening, she and her suitcase were in the big automobile, and she was saying good-by to Mrs. Ayres, promising to write to her often and tell her what was happening.

The trip back to London did not take long. By the following morning, Mr. Drew had made arrangements for taking Lola Flanders back to the States. He and Nancy had decided not to cable Lolita. While they hoped Mrs. Flanders would not have a relapse, they agreed that it would be better to wait until they arrived home before telling Lolita the wonderful news.

At the airport the Pietros said good-by. The younger clown took Nancy aside and asked if she would let him know when it might be feasible for him to return to the States.

"Do you think I should tell Mrs. Flanders that Lolita and I are going to be married?"

"Not yet," Nancy replied. "There are a lot of things to be done before the mystery is completely solved."

As the travelers boarded the plane, Lola Flanders clung to Nancy. It had been a long time since she had made a trip across the ocean and never by plane. But the journey was a smooth and happy one.

When they landed in New York, a messenger delivered several telegrams to the plane. The stewardess handed one of them to Nancy.

Quickly she tore it open, then stared at the sheet in horror. The message had been sent by Bess from River Heights and read:

lolita badly injured. will meet you hotel coles new york with details.

CHAPTER XXIIIDodging Spies

For a few moments Nancy sat in stunned silence. Then quickly she showed the telegram to her father, and in a whisper cautioned him not to read it aloud.

"Mrs. Flanders mustn't see it," she said hurriedly.

"You're right," her father replied in a low voice. "This is dreadful news."

Trying not to show her agitation, Nancy helped Mrs. Flanders from the plane. The woman looked around in a dazed fashion. For a moment Nancy was fearful that Mrs. Flanders might suffer a mental relapse. But suddenly the ex-circus performer smiled and said:

"To think that I am back in the U.S.A.! Oh, it doesn't seem possible that in a little while I'll see my daughter again!"

"We'll have to find out where she is," said Nancy gently. "I don't know where the circus is right now."

Mrs. Flanders was trembling with excitement. When Mr. Drew went to claim their baggage, Nancy suggested that she sit down and relax.

She led Mrs. Flanders to the women's lounge and asked the matron if she would please look after her for a few minutes. The kindly woman promised to do so.

"Please don't let her out of here," Nancy requested.

"Don't you worry, miss," the matron said. "I'll guard her as if she was my own mother,"

Nancy hurried off to find her father. At the baggage desk, she said to him in a low voice:

"Dad, I've just come to the conclusion that the telegram is a hoax. Nobody in the States knew when we were flying back."

"It's just possible," said Mr. Drew, "that the doctor who attended Lola Flanders may have visited the nursing home and found out that she had left for the States. He could have cabled Kroon."

Nancy decided that the only way to settle the matter was to call Bess's home. Going at once to the telephone booth, she placed the call. Bess herself answered.

"Where are you?" she asked Nancy.

"New York City. I just landed. Bess, did you send me a telegram?"

"Why, no," Bess replied in surprise. "What made you think I had?"

Nancy told her that someone had signed her name to a very unfortunate message. Then she asked if Bess had heard from Lolita recently.

"Why, yes. I just spoke to Erika. Lolita is fine. Why do you want to know?"

Nancy told her about the latest developments. Bess gasped, first in horror that anyone could be so cruel as to send such a message, and then in delight to hear that Lolita's mother had been found.

"Where is the circus playing?" Nancy asked.

"It's moving to Melville tonight. They'll be there for three days. That's why Erika called me. She wanted to know if there was any news of Pietro."

Quickly Nancy gave Bess the other details of the trip and concluded by saying that Pietro wanted to return to the circus as soon as possible and marry Lolita.

"When Erika calls again, will you please give Lolita his message."

Returning to her father, who had just received their baggage, Nancy told him the latest turn of events. Mr. Drew became grave.

"One thing is sure. We are being spied upon. We'll probably be followed. I suggest that we lead our pursuers a merry chase and throw them off the track."

Nancy was agreeable to the suggestion. Suddenly an idea came to her. "I heard an announcement a few minutes ago that a helicopter's taking off for Newark. Suppose we fly over there and then drive back to New York? Anybody who might be following us could never get there in time."

Mr. Drew smiled. "That's an excellent plan," he praised his daughter.

He went to buy the tickets, while Nancy hurried to the women's lounge for Lola Flanders and then led the way to the helicopter.

The trip was made in an hour. When they arrived at Eloise Drew's apartment, the lawyer took his sister aside to ask if Lola Flanders might stay at her apartment temporarily. Under the circumstances, it seemed best to keep her in hiding until the riddle of the strange telegram had been solved.

Eloise Drew was delighted with the arrangement. Nancy was to stay there also. Mr. Drew said that he had to return to his office at once and would catch an afternoon plane to River Heights.

After luncheon, Nancy said she would like to do an errand. Actually she wanted to talk to Captain Smith and tell him what she had found out in England. Miss Drew also said that she had an errand which must be taken care of.

"Do you mind staying alone?" Nancy asked Mrs. Flanders.

The woman laughed. It was the first time Nancy had heard her laugh and it reassured the girl as to Lola Flanders' condition.

"Go ahead," Mrs. Flanders said. "You know, I feel like a new person. I have no more fears."

Nancy and her aunt left the apartment together. Miss Drew said that she would not be gone more than twenty minutes, and Nancy could take all the time she needed. They separated, and Nancy went at once to call on Captain Smith.

"You back so soon?" the officer shook his head. "Well, what's the news?"

After hearing Nancy's story, Captain Smith looked at her in admiration. He said no detective or police officer could have done the job better and probably not so fast.

"There's still a great deal to be done," Nancy said. "Have you found out any more about the Tristam Booking Agency or Lola Flanders' dividend checks?"

"I have some news that will amaze you," the officer said. "The Tristam Booking Agency has gone out of business!"

"It has?" Nancy exclaimed.

The police officer said that the firm had folded up overnight. It had left no forwarding address.

"There has been no mail for Lola Flanders for two days," the captain stated. "I was just about to telephone one of the companies from which the dividend checks come to find out if they had been notified of any change of address. I'll do it now."

He put in a call to an oil company. Presently he received the information he wanted. Hanging up, he turned to Nancy and said:

"Well, that's a break. The new address is the Hotel Coles in this city!"

Before Nancy could do any more than show her surprise, the captain was placing another call. This time it was to the hotel desk. He learned that a young dancer named Lola Flanders had registered there the day before.

Nancy told Captain Smith about the fake telegram, directing her to go to the Hotel Coles.

"But you didn't do it?" the man asked, a look of disapproval crossing his face.

"No."

"I'm glad," the officer said. "It's a low-class place."

Captain Smith said he would send a detective to the hotel at once to check on Lola Flanders. He would have another man check to find out who had sent the telegram.

"Please call me at my aunt's home if you find out anything," Nancy requested.

The officer promised to do so and Nancy returned to the Drew apartment. She rang the bell and instantly the door was opened by her Aunt Eloise. The woman's eyes had a frightened look in them.

"Nancy! Lola Flanders is gone!" she cried.

CHAPTER XXIVTerror at the Circus

Miss Eloise Drew began pacing the floor. She was convinced that Lola Flanders had suffered another attack of amnesia and wandered off.

Nancy was even more alarmed than her aunt. She was fearful that one of her enemies had enticed Mrs. Flanders away.

Hastening to the street, she asked a group of children she saw playing there if they had seen a woman come from the apartment house.

"A thin, small woman with graying hair," she added.

"Sure I saw her," a little girl spoke up. "She got in a taxi and went off."

"Was anybody with her?" Nancy asked.

The little girl said that a woman with curly blond hair and very red cheeks had come from the apartment house with the woman and they had gone off together.

"Did you happen to hear them say where they were going?"

"No, I didn't," the child replied.

Nancy's first thought was the Hotel Coles. She wanted to go there at once, but recalling Captain Smith's advice, decided to phone him and ask the police to make the investigation.

A few moments later the police captain called and reported that the young dancer who called herself Lola Flanders had not been at the hotel since she had registered.

Suddenly an idea occurred to Nancy. Consulting the classified telephone directory, she made a series of calls to theater booking agents and restaurants that employed dancers. The list was long and she was kept busy for an hour and a half. At last she was rewarded, however. Millie Francine was employed at the Bon Ton Night Club.

Nancy wondered how she could get in touch with the dancer. Even if she knew nothing about Lolita's mother and her possible kidnapping, she might be able to give her a lead to the guilty party.

As the girl detective sat thinking, the bell rang. She ran to the door, hopeful that Lola Flanders had returned. Ned Nickerson stood there, grinning.

"I know you didn't expect me," he said, stepping into the apartment. "I hadn't left New York yet, and when I telephoned earlier to find out if by any chance you were back, I was certainly delighted to hear that you had returned. So here I am!"

Nancy stared at him in surprise. The strange look on her face made Ned ask:

"Aren't you glad to see me?"

"Oh, yes, Ned," Nancy said hurriedly. "But we're in the middle of a new mystery. Who answered the phone here when you called?"

"I don't know. Whoever she was told me that you and your aunt had gone out for a few hours."

"Ned, that was Lolita Flanders' mother! At least, I think it was," she said, upon second thought. "What else did she say?"

"That if I wanted to see you, not to come for a while, because nobody would be here."

"She said that?" Nancy asked in surprise. "Go on, Ned," she urged.

"There isn't any more to tell. Well, wait a minute," he said suddenly. "It seems to me she did say that she was going out, too."

"Did she say why?" Nancy asked quickly.

Ned said the woman had mumbled something. It could have been that she was going to meet her daughter.

"Oh, Ned," said Nancy, "it's just as I feared. Lola Flanders has been kidnapped!"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Nancy told him the whole story and then said, "Ned, you and I are going to the Bon Ton as fast as we can get there."

"Well, I'm glad to have a date," Ned said. "But would you mind telling me why you've picked out that second-rate place? Besides, it doesn't open until evening."

Nancy was disappointed. Valuable hours would be lost in her search for Lola Flanders. Presently she said hopefully, "Ned, often the girls who perform in those places have afternoon rehearsals. Let's go over there, anyway."

On the way, another idea came to Nancy. She told her companion that should it be difficult to get into the place at this hour she was going to ask for an interview as if she wished to obtain a job there. This seemed the most feasible way of getting in to talk to Millie Francine.

Ned scowled at this proposal. Nancy laughed and said, "Oh, Ned, do stop worrying!"

To Nancy's delight, there was no doorman on duty and the Bon Ton was open. As she had predicted, a rehearsal was going on. She sat down at a table in an obscure, dark corner and watched.

It was not difficult to identify Millie Francine because presently a director called out, "Millie, what's the matter with you? Your voice sounds as if you'd been eating gravel!"

Millie Francine proved to be a better dancer than singer, but she was nervous, and when her part in the show was over she sat down at a table not far from where Nancy and Ned were seated. They rose and went over to sit beside her. Looking straight into the dancer's eyes, Nancy asked in a low tone:

"Where have you hidden the real Lola Flanders?"

Millie Francine fell back as if someone had struck her. It was several seconds before she recovered her wits, then she asked who Nancy was.

"I'm a detective and I know all about you," Nancy replied. She gave the girl enough of the story to convince her.

Millie Francine had begun to shake with fright. She declared she was an innocent party.

"I used to work for Sims' Circus," she said. "Mr. Kroon knew I needed money. When he suggested that I could earn some extra cash by pretending my real name was Lola Flanders, I said I would."

Millie Francine said she had been paid well by Kroon and Mr. Tristam, the owner of the agency.

"I didn't see any harm in the pretense," the dancer said.

"But what about the mail that came to you in care of the agency?" Nancy asked.

Millie Francine's eyebrows went up. She said she had never received any mail there. Nancy now told her about the dividend checks and her suspicion that Kroon and possibly Tristam were stealing them.

The dancer began to weep. She insisted that she had done nothing wrong and did not want to go to jail.

"I don't think you'll have to go to jail," said Nancy, "providing your story is true, and it will help a lot if you will tell us where Lola Flanders is right now."

"I don't know, really I don't," said Millie. "The agency busted up, you know."

Nancy asked if Millie knew where the Tristams lived. She gave them an apartment-house address and said that perhaps Lola Flanders was there. But Nancy had already thought of this.

"How soon will the rehearsal be over?" Nancy asked the dancer abruptly.

"I'm all through now," the girl replied.

"In that case, I'll go to your dressing room and wait while you change. Then you're going with us to the apartment."

At first Millie Francine demurred, but Nancy was fearful the dancer might telephone the apartment and spoil everything.

"The easiest way to prove you're innocent," said Nancy, "is to face those people."

"I never thought of that," the dancer said, and willingly let Nancy accompany her to the dressing room.

Twenty minutes later the three set off in a cab. Unbeknown to Nancy, Ned had telephoned Captain Smith and asked that a policeman meet them at the apartment house. Upon their arrival, they found him waiting.

Nancy suggested that Millie Francine call up to She apartment that she was there, but not to mention that she had other visitors with her. The dancer did her part and the front door was opened to them.

They rode up in the elevator to the third floor and made their way to the Tristam apartment. Millie rang the bell. The door was opened by a woman with curly blond hair whom the dancer called Mrs. Tristam. The four callers burst in.

"What does this mean?" Mrs. Tristam cried.

While the policeman stood guard at the door, Nancy and Ned hurried inside to look for Lola Flanders. They found her in the living room, talking to Mr. Tristam.

"Oh, Nancy!" Lolita's mother cried out. "It was dreadful of me not to have left a note. These kind people got in touch with me and we were going to leave in a few minutes to see my daughter."

"Mrs. Flanders," said Nancy, "these people are not kind. They have practically kidnapped you. They have been stealing your money for years. They never intended to take you to Lolita."

As Lola Flanders fell back, stunned, Mr. Tristam walked forward. He demanded to know what this outrageous story was all about and who Nancy was.

"I'm quite sure you know who I am," she said. "Possibly you do not know my escort, Ned Nickerson. And in case you do not know the policeman at the door, I suggest that you meet him quietly."

Suddenly Tristam's eyes blazed and he became virtually a madman. He shoved Nancy aside and punched Ned. Then he started for the door to the hall. Before he could even reach the policeman, Millie Francine planted herself in his path.

"Oh, no, you don't, Mr. Tristam," she cried. "You don't go another step without telling these people I'm innocent!"

At that moment there was a tap on the door. The policeman recognized it as a signal from more of Captain Smith's men. He opened the door. The officer and two other men walked in.

Tristam, seeing that the game was up, quietly surrendered. He told the story much as Nancy had pieced it together from time to time. He added that it was Kroon's idea when Lola Flanders, then a widow, was discharged from the hospital, to keep her under the influence of drugs so that she would appear to be an amnesia victim, and to place her in a cheap nursing home. It was Mrs. Kroon who had literally abducted Lolita, partly because she had loved the little girl and partly because she knew that the aerialist had great talent and would bring a small fortune to them.

Nancy was fearful that the excitement might prove disastrous to Lola Flanders' mind, but she seemed to have recovered completely. When she reached Aunt Eloise's apartment, she asked how soon they might start for Melville and see Lolita.

"If you feel well enough, we'll take the first plane," Nancy promised her.

"I'm ready to go now," she insisted.

Ned obtained the reservations and within two hours they were all saying good-by to Aunt Eloise and setting off for the town of Melville.

As they climbed into the plane, the first person they saw was young Pietro! He explained that he had just arrived from England.

"I just couldn't stay away," he said. "Nancy, I had a hunch you would fix everything up, and that it won't be long before Lolita and I will be married."

"I think you're right," Nancy said, smiling at Ned, "and Lolita will have her wish—that her mother will be present at the wedding."

The plane reached Melville just before midnight. The group went to the hotel. Nancy suggested that Lola Flanders remain there until Lolita could be brought to her.

"I don't know whether Mr. Kroon has been apprehended yet or not," Nancy said. Turning to Ned and Pietro, she added, "Suppose we three go over to the circus at five o'clock tomorrow morning and mingle with the crowd that will be watching the workmen set up the tents. In that way, we won't be noticed by Mr. or Mrs. Kroon or any of their spies. We'll get Lolita and bring her back here."

This plan was agreed upon. Nancy was up at four thirty the next morning, and at five set off with the young men. Upon reaching the circus grounds, the three separated, Nancy going ahead. She made her way carefully to Lolita's trailer and knocked.

"Lolita, wake up!"

Sleepily the young aerialist tumbled out of bed and opened the door. Seeing Nancy, she started to cry out.

"Sh-h-h!" Nancy warned her. "Your mother is in a hotel downtown. Dress quietly and follow me."

Lolita dressed quickly, and throwing caution to the winds, stepped out of her trailer.

"Oh, Nancy, this is marvelous! Let's hurry."

The two girls made their way along, hurrying past the wild-animal cages to avoid detection by Kroon, should he happen to be around. But they did not see him, and hastened on happily.

They had just reached King Kat's cage when a strong hand was suddenly laid on Nancy's shoulder. The person gripped her tightly and swung her about.

Kroon!

"So you're still trying to thwart me!" the man cried. "Well, this is the last time!"

With his free hand, he unfastened the lion's cage and thrust Nancy forward!

CHAPTER XXVLast Links in the Mystery

With a great leap the huge lion sprang toward the door of the cage. Nancy Drew fought with every ounce of strength to get away from the insane ringmaster who was pushing her into the cage. Lolita screamed and tried to pull her foster father away.

A few yards back of Nancy was Ned Nickerson. And a short distance behind him, Pietro. Both young men raced forward.

Ned grasped Nancy and swung her away from the lion. The angry, confused beast landed one claw on the boy's hand and raked it badly.

Ned's action had startled Kroon, who fell backward. The lion hesitated a moment as though undecided whether to slink away or jump forward. For a fearful second everyone wondered whether the beast would get loose.

Pietro saw a long whip lying on the ground. Quick as a flash he picked it up and cracked it across King Kat's nose. The lion snarled and bared its teeth. One paw, halfway through the opening, was keeping Pietro from closing the cage door. With another crack of the whip he struck the lion's paw and the beast jumped backward with a roar of pain. The clown slammed and locked the door.

By this time there was terrific commotion in the circus. Every workman and many of the townspeople had come on the run to see what had happened. In the melee, Kroon disappeared.

"Oh, Nancy!" Lolita cried. "Are you all right?"

Nancy nodded. Recovering from her shock, she saw that Ned's hand was bleeding profusely.

"Ned!" she said quickly. "You must go to Dr. Jackson at once!"

Then, realizing that she had not thanked him for his brave rescue, she added, "Ned, you saved my life. How can I ever thank you?"

Ned gave a wry smile. "Don't even try, Nancy. I'm only thankful I was here to do it."

Pietro, too, came in for his share of praise.

Quickly Nancy looked around. "Where did Mr. Kroon go?" she asked.

No one had noticed him leave. Nancy, fearful that he would escape, asked Lolita to take Ned to the doctor.

"Pietro," she said, "we must find Mr. Kroon."

The man was not on the circus grounds and Mrs. Kroon also was missing. Pietro reported that the ringmaster's car was gone. Nancy telephoned State Police headquarters and spoke to the sergeant on duty. She was told that the police had just received word from New York to apprehend Kroon and were about to pick him up at the circus.

"Thank you, Miss Drew," the sergeant said. "I'll send a detail out at once and we'll set up a road block."

The Kroons were picked up a short time later on the highway and taken to headquarters. Nancy, Lolita, Pietro, and Ned were present at the interrogation.

Kroon, finding that denials of his crooked schemes were futile, and that even his two spies, the tramp clown and the giant, had not been entirely loyal to him, made a full confession. He did not spare the Tristams, on whom he put a great deal of the blame. At Kroon's request, Tristam had come to River Heights and stolen the horse-charm bracelet. He had brought it to Kroon, who years before had had a cheap duplicate of Lolita's horse charm made. He had kept the original, hoping to obtain the valuable bracelet. He had finally succeeded.

But when Nancy had stymied his plan to sell it, Kroon and Tristam together had engineered the kidnapping of Nancy and George. Learning that this had failed, Tristam had found out where Nancy had gone and followed her to New York. He had tried to stop Nancy's trip to England by engaging a professional thug to put the acid in her overnight bag.

While Kroon and Tristam had managed to steal the dividend checks which had come to Lola Flanders from her securities, they had never dared to try selling the securities themselves. Lolita was thrilled to hear that they were still intact for her mother.

When Kroon finished his confession, the police asked Nancy and the others if they had any questions. The girl detective spoke up.

"I have just one," she said. "Mr. Kroon, who was it who went to the riding academy and attacked Señor Roberto?"

The ringmaster said Tristam had done this also. Both he and Kroon felt that Hitch was in the way. Tristam had meant to attack the stableman, but had, in the semidarkness, mistaken Roberto for him. Just as he had discovered his error, Tristam heard voices in the distance and fled.

After all the angles of the mystery were cleared up, Nancy and her friends went at once to the Melville Hotel. Nancy suggested that no one attend the reunion of mother and daughter. Lolita smiled and thanked Nancy for being so understanding, but said that she wanted all of the others to come to her mother's room in fifteen minutes.

When Nancy and the young men arrived, they were thrilled to see the happiness on the faces of Lola and Lolita Flanders. Their praise of Nancy was boundless, and Ned and Pietro came in for their share.

"Mother and I have been talking over my wedding plans," said Lolita, blushing a little, "Mother has a wonderful idea."

The others listened eagerly as the pretty aerialist went on to say that Mrs. Flanders would like the wedding to take place soon—three days from then.

"This is partly because she wants her daughter and her new son-in-law in business with her," Lolita explained.

Pietro looked puzzled. "In business?" he asked.

"Yes," said Lola Flanders, taking hold of the young clown's hand. "I had a telephone call a little while ago from Nancy's Aunt Eloise. The New York police have discovered that Sims' Circus is a stock company and I own most of the stock."

"Oh, that's perfectly wonderful," Nancy said, delighted.

Pietro asked how Sims figured in the deal. Lola Flanders told him that at one period, when the circus was about to fold up, Lolita's father had bought the major portion of the stock. Kroon knew this and kept reminding young Mr. Sims of the fact whenever he stayed around the circus too long.

The ringmaster had confidentially told him that it was still a mystery as to whether Lola Flanders was alive. Some day she might show up and claim her rightful share. Since young Sims knew little about the running of a circus, he had gladly left this to the stronger-willed Kroon.

Pietro suddenly kissed his future mother-in-law. Then he said, "Bad as Mr. Kroon was, I certainly have him to thank for one thing. Sims' is still a fine circus."

"Indeed it is," said Lolita. "Mother, wait until you see a performance."

Nancy asked what had happened to the Vascon troupe. Lolita said that when Rosa had been unable to perform, Mr. Kroon had discharged the whole equestrian troupe. Suddenly Lolita looked at Nancy.

"Oh," she said, "it would be so wonderful if they would come back and we could have a full performance the night of the wedding. Nancy, would you ride in Rosa's place?"

The girl detective smiled and said she would be very happy to take part in the act.

The night of the gala performance Nancy's family and friends sat in Box AA, with Señor Roberto, who had fully recovered from his injuries. Bess whispered to George:

"This is so marvelous I could cry. It's the best mystery Nancy ever solved."

"It was swell," George agreed. "But you just wait. Another good mystery will come Nancy's way and I'll bet it won't be long, either."

George was right! Nancy had hardly recovered from her days at the circus when she was confronted with The Scarlet Slipper Mystery.

During the evening, it seemed as though each performer outdid himself. Nancy herself felt as if she had never done her stunt riding so well. The wedding plans had been announced to the audience, and after the finale, everyone stayed in his seat.

The happy bride and her real prince were married in the great circus ring. Then, as they walked out together smiling, to the tune of the Mendelssohn march, the applause was thunderous.

A reception had been arranged in the cafeteria tent. In one corner on a large table the wedding gifts were displayed. Prominent among them was the picture of Nancy Drew, standing on a horse in her circus costume. Lola Flanders had asked Eloise Drew for it. A little later the radiant bride said to Nancy:

"This will be a constant reminder of the most wonderful girl I have ever met!"

Then Lolita held up her arm on which she was wearing the beautiful horse-charm bracelet.

"Are you sure you want me to have this as a wedding gift?" she asked Nancy.

"Of course I do," Nancy replied. "The bracelet came from a queen and now it has come back to one—the queen of aerialists!"