gether different matter to
the couple of friends who were setting forth under cover of darkness.
For one thing, Alick, who hated anything underhand, was thoroughly
ashamed of sneaking away in the night. That in itself distinctly took
away from the dash and glory of the affair.

In addition, he felt himself groping in a fog of misery. Nevermore, he
felt convinced, would he see his gentle, loving sister in this life;
and he shivered uncontrollably as he thought that, but for his absence
in her hour of peril, Theo would be as well and strong as anybody--as,
for instance, little Queenie, upon whom the accident had left no evil
effects.

Before and behind, life was grim and stripped of hope for both the
boy-adventurers as they plunged along the high road. They were too
intensely miserable to look forward to the future. All they were
intent on was to escape from the dreaded consequences of their
misdoings.

It is hard work travelling with a heart of lead in one's bosom--

'A merry heart goes all the day,
Your sad tires in a mile-a.'

Still, the two trudged on, mile after mile, until when the dawn stole
up the sky they found themselves on the outskirts of a country town at
a considerable distance from Northbourne. Having but a few shillings,
belonging to Alick, they had decided to walk every step of the road to
London Docks. In the dim grey light from the east they saw, to their
astonishment, large looming vans and many blurred forms, all in busy
motion. There seemed to be, as it were, a commotion of shadows.

'What on earth is it, Ned? They look like ghosts flitting about!'
Alick said, half fearfully.

'No! They ain't ghosts!' slowly rejoined Ned, after a prolonged stare.
'I'll tell you what it means. Tis a circus, or mayhap a wild-beast
show, or somethin' of that sort. They're carryvans, leastways, and
they're makin' an early start. Depend on it, that's what 'tis, Muster
Alick!'

Alick whistled.

'I shouldn't wonder, Ned. You've just hit it. It's a circus! Let's
go closer. Who knows but they might give us a lift on the road to
London!'

Ned shook his head; he was extremely doubtful as to that. Such
civility was not by any means the rule of the road.

As the boys drew nearer, they felt sure it must be a wild-beast show,
from the rumble of subdued roars, as if from pent-up animals, and the
chatter of birds that resounded from the depths of the caravans in
which the inmates were, evidently