of girls which was standing apart, amazed
and somewhat dismayed by the press of people. "Oh! Don't get worried,
Molly, by a little jam like this. Wait till you see the grounds. I
declare it seems as if everybody between New York and Albany had come
to the 'Show.' It is a big one, I guess, and the Parade was fine.
Sorry we didn't bring all of you, pillion, old-style, so you could
have seen it, too."

"Monty, stop! It's cruelty to girls to harrow up their feelings that
way! As if we didn't all _think_ 'pillion' and long to suggest it,
only our diffidence prevailed. But come! Mr. Seth has piloted the
servants to their stage and is waiting for us!" answered Molly
Breckenridge and was the first to spring up the narrow steps at the
rear of the rickety omnibus and run to its innermost corner, where she
extended her arms to receive her "son" whom she had kept in charge
during the ride in the car. The other Molly had passed him on to her,
he submitting in wide-eyed astonishment at all the novelty of this
trip. Helena held Sapphira as closely, and Dorothy's arm was tightly
clasped about Luna's waist, who, oddly enough, was the least
affrighted of them all.

"Won't the horses be afraid? Supposin' they should run away!" cried
Molly Martin, who had seldom been in the town and never on such an
occasion as this.

"Pooh! Them horses won't run 'less they're prodded into it. They look
as if they'd been draggin' stages up and down these hills all their
lives and never expected to do anything else," answered Alfaretta,
quickly. "Don't you get scared, Molly, I ain't."

Indeed, of all that happy party Alfaretta was, maybe, the happiest.
Her face was one continual smile and her chatter touched upon
everything they passed with such original remarks that she kept them
all laughing. Seth beamed upon her from his place beside Luna, and was
himself delighted to see that Dorothy was now as gay as any of the
others. For the time being any worries she had had were forgotten; and
it was she who exclaimed in astonishment, as they came to the grounds
and climbed out of the stage:

"'Do I wake or am I dreaming'! If there isn't Miss Penelope
Rhinelander! and Miss Greatorex is with her! True, true! Who'd ever
believe _they'd_ come to a circus!"

"Reckon they'd say they did it to study natural history--elephants and
things!" laughed Molly, waving her hand vigorously to attract the
attention of her old teachers.

But they did not see her, so occupi