h Mr. Castle and Mr. Lord very much, as they fancied that in
another year Toby would be the source of a very good income to them.

The proprietor of the circus took considerable interest in Toby's
instruction, and promised Mr. Castle that Mademoiselle Jeannette and
Toby should do an act together in the performance just as soon as the
latter was sufficiently advanced. The boy's costume had been changed
after he could ride without falling off, and now while he was in the
ring he wore the same as that used by the regular performers.

The little girl had, after it was announced that she and Toby were to
perform together, been an attentive observer during the hour that Toby
was under Mr. Castle's direction, and she gave him many suggestions that
were far more valuable, and quicker to be acted upon, than those given
by the teacher himself.

"Tomorrow you two will go through the exercise together," said Mr.
Castle to Toby and Ella, at the close of one of Toby's lessons, after
he had become so skillful that he could stand with ease on the pad, and
even advanced so far that he could jump through a hoop without falling
more than twice out of three times.

The little girl appeared highly delighted by this information, and
expressed her joy.

"It will be real nice," she said to Toby, after Mr. Castle had left them
alone. "I can help you lots, and it won't be very long before we can do
an act all by ourselves in the performance, and then won't the people
clap their hands when we come in!"

"It 'll be better for you tomorrow than it will for me," said Toby,
rubbing his legs sorrowfully, still feeling the sting of the whip. "You
see, Mr. Castle won't dare to whip you, an' he 'll make it all count on
me, 'cause he knows Mr. Lord likes to have him whip me."

"But I sha'n't make any mistake," said Ella, confidently, "and so you
won't have to be whipped on my account; and while I am on the horse you
can't be whipped, for he couldn't do it without whipping me, so you see
you won't get only half as much."

Toby brightened up a little under the influence of this argument; but
his countenance fell again as he thought that his chances for getting
away from the circus were growing less each day.

"You see I want to get back to Uncle Dan'l an' Guilford," he said,
confidentially; "I don't want to stay here a single minute."

Ella opened her eyes in wide astonishment as she cried: "Don't want to
stay here? Why don't you go home, then?"