Connie also darted after the pickpocket, calling for help.
Now, unknown to her, assistance was close at hand. Veve, unable to find Clem Gregg, had gathered the Brownies together. Even at this moment, Miss Gordon, Mrs. Williams and the girls were coming directly toward the pickpocket.
Miss Gordon saw the man at the very instant that Connie called for help. And she recognized him as the stranger who had brushed against her at the Rosedale circus.
“Spread out, girls!” she gave the order. “Form a ring around him.”
Veve and the other Brownies obeyed the command, hemming the pickpocket in. Their action gave the fat man time to rush up and seize Pickpocket Joe.
“Help! Help!” he shouted, and his voice carried a long distance in the tent.
“Clem Gregg!” shrieked Connie.
Now the circus detective stood near the tent exit. Hearing the shouts, he elbowed his way to where the Brownies had ringed in the pickpocket.
The thief jerked free from the fat man only to run straight into Clem Gregg.
“Not so fast, Joe,” said the detective, seizing his arm and holding it in a tight grip. “I’ve been looking for you.”