"Don"t you ever fall?"
"Oh, of course accidents have happened, but much more rarely than most people think. Trapeze performers are a very careful lot, and we seldom have an accident."
"Are all those trapeze people your family?" asked Marjorie, for the troupe was billed as one family.
"Many of them are, but not all. I have one sister who is an acrobat. She is really one of the best I ever saw for her age. She"s only twelve, and she can do wonderful feats for such a child."
"I"m twelve," said Marjorie, smiling, "but my brother says I"m too fat to do anything like that."
"Yes, you are," and the young lady smiled, showing her even, white teeth.
She was a very pretty girl, and had a sweet, refined voice, which surprised Marjorie, as she had not thought circus people were like this.
"You do weigh too much to be very agile; my sister is slender, but very muscular. Would you like to see her? She"s right over there in our tent, with Mother."
"Oh, I"d love to see her, but I mustn"t go away from here, for I told Pomp where to find me. He"ll be out soon."
"Yes, the performance will be over in about five minutes. But I"d like you to see my sister. Her name is Vivian, and she"s so sweet and pretty!
But of course if you think you"d better stay here, I don"t want to persuade you. I must go back now myself. We"re really not allowed out here at this time."
Marjorie wanted very much to go in to the tent with the young lady, and to see the little sister, and she wondered if she could in any way get word to Pompton telling him where she was. Just then Bill came round that way again, and smiled at her.
"Oh, Bill," cried Marjorie, impulsively, "you said if I wanted anything to ask you. Now I want to go into the tent with this lady,--she says I may,--and won"t you please go in the big tent, and tell my people where I"ve gone? You can"t miss them, they"re in Box number five. An Englishman named Pompton, who is our chauffeur,--and three children with him. Will you, Bill, "cause I want to see this lady"s little sister?"
"Sure, I"ll "tend to it, Miss. They won"t let me in myself, but I"ll fix it with the doorman, and it"ll be all right. Why, bless you, the tent isn"t a step away. Run along with Mademoiselle Cora."
"Is that your name? What a pretty name," said Marjorie, and giving Mademoiselle Cora her hand, the two crossed over to the little tent.
CHAPTER XVII
LITTLE VIVIAN
It was about ten minutes later when Pompton and his three charges came out of the circus tent. There was a great crowd, and not seeing Marjorie at first, Pompton waited until most of the people had gone away, and then began to look around for her.
"I know she wouldn"t go very far away," said King. "She must be quite near here."
"I"m not so sure," said Kitty. "You know how Marjorie runs off if she chooses, without thinking of other people."
"I"m greatly worried, Master King," said Pompton. "I suppose I ought not to have let the child come out here alone. But she was so anxious to come, and she promised she"d stay right here by the door. I couldn"t come with her, and look after the rest of you at the same time now, could I?"
"Of course you couldn"t, Pompton," said Kitty. "You did quite right. And I don"t believe Marjorie is very far away; I think she"ll be back in a minute or two."
But they waited several minutes, and the people who had been in the circus tent all went away. The grounds about were entirely cleared, and save for a few workmen, there was no one in sight. Uncertain what to do, Pompton appealed to the doorman, who just then came out with his hands full of tickets.
"Do you know anything about a little girl, about twelve years old, who came out of the tent a short time ago?" asked Pompton.
"Naw," returned the man, curtly, paying little attention to the inquiry.
"But you must have seen her come out," said King. "She came out alone, before the performance was over. She had on a long tan-colored coat."
"Aw, that kid? Yes, I seen her, but I don"t know where she went to."
"But we must find her! She"s my sister!" said Kitty, and the tears came into her eyes.
The doorman looked at Pompton. "You ought to keep yer kids together, an"
not let yer party get sep"rated."
"It wasn"t Pompton"s fault at all!" cried King, indignantly. "My sister came out here to wait for us, and of course she"s around here somewhere.
She must be in one of the tents. May we go and look for her?"
"Sure! Go where you like. I s"pose she"s pokin" around somewhere to see what"s goin" on."
"Of course she"s in one of the tents," said Kitty, brightening at the idea. "Where shall we look first, King?"
Just then the man named Bill came along.
"h.e.l.lo, youngsters," he said. "Lookin" fer that kid sister of yours? She told me to tell you where she"d gone, but, bless my soul, I forgot all about it!"
"Oh, where is she?" cried Kitty, clasping her hands, and looking up at Bill with pleading eyes.
"There, there, little one! There ain"t no use gettin" weepy about it.
Sister"s all right. She just went in that there tent with Mademoiselle Cora."
Bill pointed to the tent, and King and Kitty made a dash for it.
They fairly burst in at the door, and sure enough, there was Marjorie sitting on a big packing box, watching a little girl who was performing most remarkable athletic feats.
"Oh, h.e.l.lo," cried Marjorie, "I"m so glad you"ve come! Just sit down here beside me, and watch Vivian. Mademoiselle Cora, this is my brother and sister."
King pulled off his cap, and felt a little uncertain as to what sort of etiquette this very strange situation demanded. But he bowed politely, and as Mademoiselle Cora smiled, and asked the two newcomers to be seated, and as there were plenty of packing boxes, King and Kitty sat down.
"This is Vivian," said Marjorie, waving her hand toward the little acrobat, who was turning double somersaults with lightning rapidity.
"She"s only twelve, isn"t she wonderful?"
The experience was so novel, it is scarcely to be wondered at that King and Kitty fell under the spell, as Marjorie had done, and the three sat breathlessly watching Vivian.
Mademoiselle Cora smiled at the enraptured audience, and in a far corner of the tent sat a placid-looking woman knitting a shawl. This was the mother of the two girls, but she took little interest in the visitors, and except for an occasional glance at them, devoted herself to her knitting.
After waiting a few moments, and seeing that the children did not reappear, Pompton decided to go into the tent himself. He hesitated about taking Rosamond in, but there was no help for it, so carrying the child in his arms, he pushed aside the canvas flap which formed the tent door, and stepped inside.
"My word!" he exclaimed, as he saw the youthful performer, and the interested audience. "You children are the most surprising! I think you had better come away now."
"I think so, too," remarked Vivian"s mother, looking up for a moment from her knitting. "Are there many more of you to come?"
"Now don"t be uncivil, Mother," said Cora, with her pretty smile. "It does no harm for these children to see Vivian perform. You know she wasn"t on the programme to-day."