John and Lola Flanders.
“They were a very talented couple,” the old clown remarked wistfully. “Too bad about their accident.”
There were various other pictures of the famous couple, performing their difficult stunts. Nancy could see that Lolita had indeed inherited her great talent from them.
“Yes, it was unfortunate that they fell,” Nancy replied. “Mr. Sanders, can you tell me anything more about them?”
For answer, the man turned the page of the scrapbook. The two following pages were filled with clippings from European newspapers. None of them was in English, but the old clown helped Nancy translate them. All gave practically the same account. John Flanders had been killed outright. The injuries to his wife had been very serious and she had not been expected to live.
“But none of these clippings,” said Nancy, “tell whether or not Mrs. Flanders did recover.”
The old clown looked around as if he feared someone might hear what he was about to tell Nancy. Finally he whispered:
“That has been a mystery all these years. One story was that Lola Flanders was taken to England and disappeared.”
Nancy’s pulses quickened. Probably Pietro’s father had seen Lola Flanders in Tewkesbury!
Thinking of England reminded Nancy that she had forgotten to ask her father to start his investigation there. She decided that as soon as she finished talking with Leo Sanders, she would telephone the lawyer.
“I’ve heard,” said Nancy to the old clown, “that John and Lola Flanders were reputed to have had a lot of money. Do you know whether this is true?”
Again Sanders spoke in a low voice. “Yes, the couple amassed a fortune with their brilliant act. Whatever became of the money no one knows. Some of the folks around here, who don’t like Kroon, hint that maybe he’s handling it and Lolita will never get it.”
Nancy wondered about this, but Sanders had nothing further to offer. Nancy then asked the clown whether the Flanders had made all their money in the circus.
“No, not exactly,” he replied. “John and Lola were very popular with nobility and other aristocrats in Europe. They were often asked to give special command performances outside the circus. They were exceedingly well paid for this.”
The clown went on to say that a certain queen was particularly fond of Lola. She had given her beautiful jewelry, including a unique bracelet.
“Please tell me about it,” Nancy asked eagerly.
“I only saw it once,” Sanders replied, “but I never could forget it. The bracelet was solid gold and had six little horses dangling from it. Five of them represented a different gait. Two were cantering. It was the most artistic piece of jewelry I had ever seen,” he concluded. “And now, I understand, you may own this very bracelet.”
Nancy nodded and added, “I was told that the horse charm which Lolita wears on a necklace was given to her by her mother. Do you think it could have come from my bracelet?”
Sanders thought for a moment. He glanced at Nancy as if he were reticent to say what was in his mind. Finally he blurted out:
“I don’t think the one Lolita wears is real. It doesn’t glisten as much and isn’t so finely made as the ones I saw on her mother’s bracelet.”
Here was a strange twist, the young sleuth thought. If the old clown was right, then someone had substituted an imitation horse charm for the lovely one which Lolita’s mother had given her!
“I’ll get my bracelet and compare the horses more closely with Lolita’s,” Nancy decided. She was positive that hers were the finely wrought originals.
She thanked the clown for his information. Then, before going back to her own tent, she telephoned to her father. After giving him the latest news on the case, she asked him to find out what he could in England about Lola Flanders.
Deciding that it was best to keep Sanders’ suspicions to herself, Nancy talked with Erika only about the circus itself. Both girls performed expertly that afternoon and upon returning to their dressing room smiled in satisfaction.
The evening performance also went off well. By this time, Nancy felt as if she really were part of the circus. In fact, she had almost forgotten that she was only substituting for a week or so, and had to keep out of Kroon’s way in order not to be detected.