d again went
through her performance intelligently and gracefully, until she
approached the place where Valentine was standing. She started as she
recognized his face, and made a step forward to get nearer to him; but
was stopped by Mr. Jubber, who saw that the people immediately in front
of her were holding out their hands to write on her slate, and have her
cards dealt round to them in their turn. The child's attention appeared
to be distracted by seeing the stranger again who had kissed her hand so
fervently--she began to look confused--and ended by committing an open
and most palpable blunder in the very first trick that she performed.

The spectators good-naturedly laughed, and some of them wrote on her
slate, "Try again, little girl." Mr. Jubber made an apology, saying that
the extreme enthusiasm of the reception accorded to his pupil had shaken
her nerves; and then signed to her, with a benevolent smile, but with
a very sinister expression in his eyes, to try another trick. She
succeeded in this; but still showed so much hesitation, that Mr. Jubber,
fearing another failure, took her away with him while there was a chance
of making a creditable exit.

As she was led across the ring, the child looked intently at Valentine.

There was terror in her eyes--terror palpable enough to be remarked
by some of the careless people near Mr. Blyth. "Poor little thing! she
seems frightened at the man in the fine green jacket," said one. "And
not without cause, I dare say," added another. "You don't mean that
he could ever be brute enough to ill use a child like that?--it's
impossible!" cried a third.

At this moment the clown entered the ring. The instant before he shouted
the well-known "Here we are!" Valentine thought he heard a strange cry
behind the red curtain. He was not certain about it, but the mere doubt
made his blood run chill. He listened for a minute anxiously. There was
no chance now, however, for testing the correctness of his suspicion.
The band had struck up a noisy jig tune, and the clown was capering and
tumbling wonderfully, amid roars of laughter.

"This may be my fault," thought Valentine. _"This!_ What?" He was afraid
to pursue that inquiry. His ruddy face suddenly turned pale; and he left
the circus, determined to find out what was really going on behind the
red curtain.

He walked round the outside of the building, wasting some time before he
found a door to apply at for admission. At last he came