The ticket seller thought a moment. "I'd like to let you into the performance under the big top, but it's against the fire rules to exceed the seating capacity."

"We understand," said Nancy, "but you haven't answered my question. There's nothing in the fire rules that forbids people from walking around to look at the animals and the side shows, is there?"

The man had to admit there was not. He called to the guard who was taking tickets at the gate and told him to let in the young lady and her escort.

Nancy and Ned thanked him and hurried inside. Ned inquired what the next move was to be.

"Pretty soon all the animals and the freaks will be going in the parade," he reminded her. "Then what?"

Nancy smiled. She told him that her plan was to accomplish almost everything that she wanted to do before the performance began.

"First of all, I want to locate Lolita and have a talk with her."

She walked up to one of the midgets who had just finished entertaining the crowd with a card trick. "Will you please tell me where Lolita's tent is?" she asked him.

He replied in a squeaky, thin voice, "I ain't allowed to tell."

Nancy was taken aback. She wondered whether the little man was just trying to be funny or whether this really was a rule of the circus. Nancy moved on to the fat lady who was seated on a platform next to the midget and repeated her question.

"Sorry, miss," the four-hundred-pound woman answered, "but we're not allowed to give out any information. Mr. Kroon's rule."

Nancy decided that she would have to find Lolita's tent by herself!

She left Ned watching the fire-eater and hurried off. Up one aisle of tents and down another she went. But there was nothing to indicate that Lolita occupied one of the tents.

"Maybe she's not in this area at all," the young detective told herself. "Being a star, perhaps she's off by herself."