"That's our ringmaster. His name is Kroon—Reinhold Kroon."

"You mean he's the one who snaps the whip and makes the horses go?" Teddy asked, his eyes wide with interest. He had already forgotten that the man had been unkind to him.

"Oh, he does more than that," the woman replied, smiling. "He announces all the acts. He used to be a horseman, but now he's practically in charge of this whole circus."

"Why doesn't he like people?" Teddy asked her.

"I don't know very much about him," the woman answered. "I help with the sewing. Mr. Kroon doesn't seem to be happy, though."

After a few minutes of further conversation, Nancy asked the woman if she had been with the circus long.

"Several years."

Nancy then inquired if the seamstress had ever known anyone who owned a horse-charm bracelet.

"No, I haven't," she replied. "Why? Does it have something to do with this circus?"

"It might," Nancy replied. "Where can I find Mr. Sims?"

The seamstress said that Mr. Sims was rarely at the circus. In fact, he had not traveled with them for several weeks. Mr. Kroon was apparently in charge now. She suggested that Nancy ask him about the bracelet.

"Oh, please don't go back to him," Teddy begged.

Since Nancy did not wish to upset the boy, she decided to question the ringmaster later. She thanked the seamstress for her information, then she and Teddy walked away.

"We'd better go home now," Nancy told him, "I'm ready for breakfast myself. Suppose I pick you up at nine o'clock and we'll go watch the parade together."

"That'll be swell," Teddy agreed eagerly.

When Nancy reached home, she found Hannah Gruen preparing breakfast and asked whether her father had returned. The housekeeper shook her head.