nwards,
and caught by the hands another who came flying through the air as if he
belonged there. Once he missed the outstretched hands, and Norah gasped
expecting to see him terribly hurt--instead of which he fell harmlessly
into a big net thoughtfully spread for his reception, and rebounded like
a tennis ball, kissing his hand gracefully to the audience, after which
he again whirled through the air, and this time landed safely in the
hands of the hanging man, who had all this while seemed just as
comfortable head downwards as any other way. There was even a little boy
who swung himself about the tent as fearlessly as the grown men, and cut
capers almost as dangerous as theirs. Norah couldn't help breathing more
freely when the acrobats bowed their final farewell.

Mr. Linton consulted his programme.

"They're bringing in the lion next," he said.

The band struck up the liveliest of tunes. All the ring was cleared now,
except for the clown, who suddenly assumed an appearance of great
solemnity. He marched to the edge of the ring and struck an attitude
indicative of profound respect.

In came the elephant, lightly harnessed, and drawing a huge cage on
wheels. On other sides marched attendants in special uniforms, and on
the elephant's back stood the lion tamer, all glorious in scarlet and
gold, so that he was almost hurtful to the eye. In the cage three lions
paced ceaselessly up and down. The band blared. The people clapped. The
clown bowed his forehead into the dust and said feelingly, "Wow!"

Beside the ring was another, more like a huge iron safe than a ring, as
it was completely walled and roofed with iron bars. The cage was drawn
up close beside this, and the doors slid back. The lions needed no
further invitation. They gave smothered growls as they leaped from their
close quarters into this larger breathing space. Then another door was
opened stealthily, and the lion tamer slipped in, armed with no weapon
more deadly than a heavy whip.

Norah did not like it. It seemed to her, to put it mildly, a risky
proceeding. Generally speaking, Norah was by no means a careful soul,
and had no opinion of people who thought over much about looking after
their skins; but this business of lions was not exactly what she had
been used to. They appeared to her so hungry, and so remarkably ill
tempered; and the man was as one to three, and had, apparently, no
advantage in the matter of teeth and claws.

"Don't like this game