The Ringmaster's Secret

Nancy is given a beautiful gold bracelet and finds that one of the horse charms is missing. When she learns the unusual story behind the jewelry, she sets out to solve the fascinating mystery.

The bracelet had been presented to a former circus performer by a queen who loved horses. For some reason the performer had to sell the bracelet but would not reveal her true identity.

Clues lead Nancy to Sims’ Circus, where she meets Lolita, an unhappy young aerialist who has a horse charm wrought exactly like those on Nancy’s bracelet. The young detective joins the circus and is soon caught up in its exciting life. It becomes apparent that someone opposes Nancy’s investigation and tries to deter her.

Nancy’s clever deductions help her to find the original owner of the bracelet, to reunite a mother and daughter who had been separated for years, and to bring much happiness to Sims’ Circus.

“Now we can get out of this prison,” George cried.

Published by Grosset & Dunlap, Inc., a member of The Putnam & Crosset Group, New York. Published simultaneously in Canada. S.A. NANCY DREW MYSTERY STORIES® is a registered trademark of Simon & Schuster, Inc. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Grosset & Dunlap, Inc.

eISBN : 978-1-101-07732-0

http://us.penguingroup.com

CHAPTER I

The Golden Charms

“OH, Nancy, I worry so about your doing that trick riding,” remarked Hannah Gruen, looking fondly at the slender attractive girl in jodhpurs and a tight-fitting coat.

Eighteen-year-old Nancy Drew was about to leave the house for a morning riding lesson. She had paused to look at the mail on the front-hall table.

“Who knows, Hannah, the trick riding may come in handy someday when I have a mystery to solve,” she replied, putting an arm affectionately around the Drews’ housekeeper. The kindly middle-aged woman had acted as a mother to her since Mrs. Drew’s death many years before.

Nancy added with a smile, “If you’re worrying about my safety, I haven’t had a spill in months. Senor Roberto is too good a teach—why, look!” she interrupted herself. “Here’s a letter and the mystery package from New York!”

“What do you mean, Nancy?”

“Didn’t I tell you, Hannah? Aunt Eloise sent a card saying she was mailing me a gift that has an unusual story.”

Nancy opened the letter from her aunt and began to read part of it aloud:

... and the shopkeeper, who purchased it on a buying trip in Europe, said it had been presented to a woman circus performer by a queen who loved horses. The performer was in dire need of money and had to sell it but would not reveal her true identity...

As Nancy paused, Hannah Gruen remarked with a sigh, “And I suppose that you’re going to try to find this circus performer and help her out of her troubles. That’s what you always do. Well, open the box and let’s see what the mysterious gift is.”

Nancy unwrapped several layers of tissue paper before she came to Aunt Eloise’s present. Then, holding up an exquisite gold bracelet, she exclaimed, “Look at all those darling little horse charms on it! One, two, three, four, five of them! Oh, oh, a sixth one is missing.”

“It doesn’t matter,” said Hannah. “The bracelet’s beautiful enough without the other horse.”

“Yes, it’s perfectly lovely.”

“Oh, oh, a sixth charm is missing!”

Nancy slipped the dainty bracelet over her wrist and held up her arm to look at the effect. The tiny horses gleamed in the light and seemed to be almost alive, they were so perfectly wrought. Each displayed a different gait, and all were gracefully poised.

“I wonder which gait the sixth horse had,” Nancy mused.

“There are only five gaits, aren’t there?” Mrs. Gruen asked.

“Yes. It’s possible the missing figure wasn’t a horse at all,” Nancy said.

Turning the bracelet around and around, she continued to admire it and to scrutinize the jewelry thoroughly for any sign of the original owner—the person who would not, according to the story, reveal her identity. There were no initials on the bracelet, and the simple scroll design on the wristlet did not seem to hold the answer.

“Do you suppose the circus performer was a European?” Nancy asked, “or an American who was working over there?”

“Now, Nancy,” said Mrs. Gruen, “you know I wouldn’t have the least idea.”

The girl’s blue eyes suddenly sparkled and she snapped her fingers. “I can start checking right away by asking Senor Roberto some questions. You know, he used to be with the Sims Circus.”

“Yes, and I wish he’d never left it and opened that riding academy here in River Heights,” Hannah declared. “Then you wouldn’t have learned how to ride without a saddle and jump onto a moving horse and—”

Nancy laughed. “It’s fun. And by the way, did you know the Sims Circus is coming to town tomorrow?”

“You bet it is,” said a young voice from the back of the hall.

Nancy and Hannah turned to see six-year-old Teddy Brown, a neighbor, who had come in the back entrance. The red-haired, freckle-faced boy was grinning broadly.

“And don’t forget, Nancy,” he went on, “you promised to take me to see the circus men put up the tents and everything.”

“That’s right, Teddy. We’ll leave your house at five o’clock tomorrow morning.” Nancy tweaked his nose affectionately. “That’s very early. Sure you’ll be up?”

“You bet! I’ll be seeing you at five tomorrow morning.”

The youngster ran off as quickly as he had appeared. As the back screen-door slammed behind him, Nancy removed the bracelet and handed it to Hannah Gruen.

“Please put this away for me,” she requested. “I won’t be gone long.”

“And promise me you’ll be careful,” the housekeeper pleaded. “I wouldn’t want your father to come home from his trip and find that you—”

“Don’t say it, Hannah!”

Nancy kissed her and promised to be careful. Seated in her convertible, her reddish-blond hair blowing in the soft summer breeze as she drove along, Nancy made a charming picture. But her expression was serious and her thoughts were on the circus performer. The young detective wondered what misfortune the woman had met.

Ten minutes later Nancy parked the car in the driveway of the riding academy and walked to Senor Roberto’s office. Hitch, the stableman, greeted her with his usual glum manner. The groom, whom Nancy knew only by his nickname, never changed his dour expression.

“The boss ain’t here,” he muttered. He suddenly shook his finger at Nancy. “If you know what’s good for you, Miss Drew, you’ll stay away from circus ridin’.”

“Circus riding?” Nancy asked, puzzled. “I haven’t been doing any circus riding.”

“Yes, you have too.” Hitch’s voice was rising angrily. “That’s what Roberto tries on everybody who shows a leanin’ for it. But I’m tellin’ you, quit it! Stop now! Right now!”

Nancy stared in amazement at Hitch, whose eyes were blazing. What could be back of his outburst, she wondered. A hatred of Roberto?

“Nobody what ain’t been brought up in a circus has got any right to try imitatin’ circus folks!” Hitch shouted. “I tell you—”

The tirade ended abruptly when the stableman saw Senor Roberto walking across the outdoor riding ring toward his office. The irate helper ambled off, saying he would bring Nancy’s mare. She stepped outside.

“Good afternoon, Miss Drew,” the riding master said with a smile. “Sorry to be late.”

“I didn’t mind waiting,” Nancy replied. “Hitch and I were talking. He—er—seemed a bit upset.”

“About the circus, no doubt,” Roberto commented. “Hitch will never get over his dismissal from Sims’. He doesn’t talk about much else.”

“I presume he’s rather keyed up because the circus is coming here tomorrow,” Nancy remarked.

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