“Did you notice the man who was sitting behind me?” she asked.
“Why, sort of,” the woman replied. “Why?”
“He tried to choke me,” Nancy told her.
“What!” the woman cried, looking about her nervously.
Ned had followed Nancy and now asked the woman if she could give any description of the man.
“I’m afraid not. I was watching the show.”
The woman said that the only reason she had noticed the man at all was because he had obstructed her view for a couple of seconds as he took his seat. He had bothered her the same way when he had left.
“You’d better report him to the police,” the woman advised.
“I will,” Ned replied. “I’ll be back in a minute, Nancy.”
The girl returned to her seat. Idly she picked up the short whip which had been used to strangle her. It was the type sold as souvenirs at the circus.
Seeing one of the vendors, Nancy summoned him. Suspended around his neck was a large basket in which he carried cold drinks, boxes of popcorn, bags of peanuts, and a variety of souvenirs, including the toy whips.
“Did you make a sale to a man who was sitting behind me?” Nancy questioned the vendor.
“Naw,” he replied. “Whaddaya want to buy?”
Nancy put a hand in her pocket and pulled out a fifty-cent piece, saying she would take a bag of peanuts. As the vendor made change, she asked him whether he had sold one of the whips to anyone near by.
“I ain’t sold one of these here ringmaster’s whips all evening,” the vendor said disgustedly, “I dunno what’s the matter with everybody. Business is mighty slow.” He moved off.
“Ringmaster’s whip,” Nancy repeated, her mind flying to Kroon.
As she thought about the recent episode, the young sleuth decided that the person who had tried to choke her must have brought the whip with him—perhaps in his pocket. When Ned returned, she whispered to him:
“I’m inclined to think the choker might have been somebody connected with the circus.”
Ned agreed and said that the box might be reserved for circus personnel. He remarked that this would narrow their search for her assailant, although the policeman to whom he had reported the incident felt little could be done without a better clue than the whip.
“But let’s wait until after Lolita’s act before we investigate,” Nancy said. “She especially wanted me to be here this evening.”
As soon as the act started, Ned was glad that they had waited. Not only was the Cinderella performance artistic, but intricate and difficult as well. One misstep on the part of Lolita or any of her princes could possibly mean their death or at least a nasty fall!
Nancy hardly dared breathe during the show, hoping that Lolita really did feel better and that she would not faint again. Did the aerialist know that Pietro had not performed? Would this make a difference to her? Nancy felt sure that there was a strong attachment between the two.
“Oh!” the crowd suddenly gasped.
Lolita had almost missed grabbing the hands of one of the princes in a swing from trapeze to trapeze. But she made it and her audience settled back, their hearts beating excitedly.
From the point where Lolita had fainted during the afternoon performance, the story was now carried to its completion, as Ringmaster Kroon had announced.
The handsome prince whom Cinderella had promised to marry while at the ball swung gracefully to her platform. In his hand was a glass slipper. There was a short ceremony at the top of the tent. When he found that it fitted Lolita’s foot, he embraced her. Then came a most fascinating trapeze act, with the two swinging back and forth, first alone, then together. The pair kept in perfect time with the lilting background music. The audience went wild in its applause.
“She’s magnificent!” Ned cried enthusiastically. “And that prince isn’t so bad himself.”
Nancy was almost transfixed. She had often been to circus performances and had seen many aerial acts, but nothing could surpass this one.
“She’s too good to remain with Sims’ Circus,” Nancy told herself. “I don’t see why she puts up with Kroon’s cruelty.”