Circus Days Again Page 7

  The clowns were an enormous success. Jimmy laughed till he cried when they built up a fine greengrocer’s shop, and piled it full of fruit and vegetables, falling over one another all the time, bumping into things—and then, at the end, getting terribly angry with one another, and throwing all the fruit and vegetables about.

  “Squish, squish,” went the tomatoes. “Thud, thud,” went the turnips. “Smack, smack,” went the oranges. Really it took quite three minutes to sweep up the ring after that ridiculous performance. Twinkle and Pippi enjoyed it just as much as the audience, and they came out grinning and laughing, their hair plastered with tomatoes!

  “Wouldn’t you like to join us in our turn, Jimmy?” grinned one of them. Jimmy didn’t know if it was Twinkle or Pippi, for they dressed exactly alike for the ring. Stanley pretended to throw a tomato at Jimmy, and the little boy ducked, afraid of spoiling his grand circus-suit.

  He and Lucky were a great success too. Lucky could walk the tight-rope as cleverly as any clown, and she could spell words with letters, which always made people shout with amazement.

  The thing that always astonished people more thananything else was when Jimmy asked his little dog one question—“Which is the finest circus in the world?”

  And from the mass of big black letters Lucky always picked out the one word—“Galliano’s!” That made people stand up and cheer, and Jimmy and Lucky bowed happily round the ring before they ran lightly out.

  Britomart the conjurer was perhaps the most astonishing performer of all. He strode into the ring looking like a giant, for he wore big heels to his boots and a great feather in his hat, and as he was already tall, he looked enormous.

  He had a strange deep voice, too, that seemed to come from his boots. He was not only a marvellous conjurer but a juggler too. He could take twelve golden balls and throw them one by one into the air, and never let them drop, keeping them circling up and down like a golden fountain. He could throw sharp knives high in the air too—three, four, five at a time—and catch them neatly by the handles, one by one, as they came down. It was astonishing to watch him.

  His conjuring was wonderful as well. Jimmy and Lotta, who were watching him closely from the curtain that hung at the ring-entrance, could not imagine how he did his tricks.

  Britomart had a small table on which was a golden cage. The cage was empty. There was nothing in it at all. The conjurer sent his helper round the ring to show the empty cage to the people.

  Then, at a deep word of command, the air was full of canaries! They fluttered out of nothing, it seemed, and flew all around the conjurer’s head! At another word of command they entered the golden cage one by one—and then, strangest of all, at a third word, they completely disappeared from the cage, and it was empty once again!

  “However did he do that?” cried Jimmy. “Where have the birds gone?”

  But that was not the only strange thing that the magnificent Britomart did. He took a pair of top-boots and placed them in the middle of the ring, after having sent his helper round to show the watching people that the boots were empty and quite ordinary.

  But dear me, were they quite ordinary? No, they were not! For as soon as Britomart placed them in the centre of the ring, and shouted a word of command, those boots began to dance! How they danced! It was simply amazing to watch them.

  “They’re alive!” said Lotta, half afraid. “I never saw a thing like that before. Goodness, isn’t he clever!”

  Britomart certainly was. After he had juggled and conjured for twenty minutes, he bowed and strode off, followed by the loudest cheers Jimmy and Lotta had ever heard.

  “And all the time he never once smiled,” said the little girl. “What a strange and clever man he is! All the same, I hope we don’t have too much to do with him, Jimmy.”

  But they were going to have a lot to do with Britomart, though they didn’t know it!

  Poor Mrs. Galliano!

  THE circus, with its new performers, was an enormous success. The third new clown, Google, was perhaps the silliest of all the turns, but he made people laugh till they cried. He was a very solemn person in the ring, and somehow this made people laugh all the more.

  He had a most extraordinary car, which he drove into the ring, with his little dog Squib sitting beside him. After the car had gone once round the ring it began to make the funniest noises. Bells rang inside it, something fizzled, and a terrible clanking noise began. This all made Google look more solemn than ever. His enormous eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead with surprise.

  Squib jumped out and went under the car. Google got out too, and as he got out, the car began to give shivers and shakes, which shot Google out on to his nose. He pretended to be very angry about that. Then streams of black smoke came from the car, and Google and Squib ran to get a pail of water. Of course Google fell over and Squib got the water all over him. He barked with rage and tried to bite Google’s wide clown-trousers.

  Then the car ran all round the ring by itself, with Google and Squib panting after it, calling to it, and whistling as if it were a dog. Jimmy and Lotta laughed till the tears ran down their cheeks and on to their collars! They had never seen a car running away and being whistled to like a dog before.

  Well, Google caught it at last, and tied it firmly to a post, so that it shouldn’t run away again. He lay down flat and got underneath it. The car then ran backwards and forwards over Google, and he shouted and yelled for all he was worth. Squib pulled him out, and they both sat down solemnly to think what they could do next with this extraordinary car.

  Then Google pulled all the insides out of the car and threw them down in the ring. When he had finished he got back behind the steering-wheel, and hooted the horn to make Squib get out of the way. He started up the engine—and the whole car flew into bits with an enormous BANG! The wheels came off and rolled all over the ring! The back of the car fell off. The front of the car hopped away. The seats fell out. It was the funniest sight that the people had ever seen in their lives!

  And there was poor old Google sitting on the ground still holding the steering-wheel, with all his car fallen to bits around him, looking sadder and more solemn than ever. No wonder the audience yelled and shouted and clapped. No wonder Squib wagged his tail happily at so much applause. Jimmy made his own hands ache with clapping, and he wished that Google would do his turn all over again.

  But he didn’t, of course. He and the other clowns collected the car-pieces and went out, Google bowing and smiling all the time, pleased at his success.

  “We’re lucky, Lotta,” said Jimmy joyfully. “We shall see Google doing that every night, as often as we like—the children in the audience are lucky if they see it once.”

  The children who had paid to see the circus looked at Jimmy and Lotta in surprise and envy when they went into the ring each night. How marvellous to be dressed like that, and have such a wonderful dog as Lucky, and such a lovely pony as Black Beauty!

  “You must be very happy,” a boy said once to Jimmy. “What a fine life you have!”

  “It’s not so easy as it looks,” said Jimmy. “Circus-folk have to work hard and practise every single day! I work just as hard as you do, and harder!”

  The circus-show was so good that the big tent was crowded each night. The weather was fine, and many coaches and buses were run to the circus-field from the distant towns. Mr. Galliano was delighted. Although he had to pay the new performers a great deal of money, it didn’t matter, because so many more people came to see the circus that there was always plenty of money for everyone to spend.

  The new performers settled down well together, and got on splendidly—all except Google the clown and the two little girls Lisa and Jeanne. Google was certainly bad-tempered, and never made a joke outside the ring. As for Jeanne and Lisa, they were two spoilt, bad-mannered children whom nobody liked. They were always playing tricks on Jimmy, and trying to get him into trouble.

  Lotta liked playing with them, and this made Jimmy cross
and unhappy. Lotta had always been his very own friend, and he hated sharing her with anyone.

  “Why do you go and play with those silly dolls belonging to Lisa and Jeanne?” he grumbled. “Why don’t you come with me and fly my new kite? Dolls are babyish.”

  “No, they’re not,” said Lotta. “I like dolls. I’ve never played with them before—only with dogs and horses. You can come and play with the dolls too, if youlike, Jimmy.”

  “Pooh!” said Jimmy rudely. “I’m not a baby, if you are!”

  This wasn’t a clever thing to say to Lotta, who could be very obstinate when she liked, so off she went and played all the more with Lisa and Jeanne. Mrs. Brownwas sorry to see this, because she knew that the two red-haired girls were bad for Lotta. They were teaching her to be rude and cheeky, and to be disobedient too. Lal, Lotta’s mother, could never manage the wilful little girl very well, but Mrs. Brown could—yet now she found that Lotta was being rude to her, and disobeying her whenever she could.

  Britomart the conjurer had very little to do with the circus-folk. He came and went without a smile, never said good-day to anyone, and only spoke to Pierre, whom he had worked with in another circus. Everyone was rather afraid of him, and even the animals did not seem to like him, which was unusual in a circus.

  Jumbo twitched his big ears restlessly when Britomart passed by. Sammy chattered angrily at him. Jemima ran away. Lucky growled.

  “There’s something queer about Britomart,” said Jimmy to Lotta. “Lucky likes nearly everyone, but she doesn’t like the conjurer! Black Beauty doesn’t like him either. He shied at Britomart when you rode near him yesterday, Lotta.”

  Zeno and his zebras were soon very much liked. He and Mr. Tonks and Mr. Volla made friends, and put their caravans close together. Twinkle, Pippi, and Sticky Stanley were soon very friendly, too, and they all liked Madame Prunella very much, and often sat outside her caravan with her, eating one of the wonderful curries she made. She had been in many hot countries to get her parrots, and had learnt to make all kinds of queer dishes, which the three clowns loved.

  Google did not make any friends, but Squib was soon a great playmate for Lucky. Those two dogs really loved one another, and played “He” and Hide-and-seek as often as they could. Lucky even began to take part of her own dinner to share with Squib, who did not have quite such good meals as Jimmy gave to Lucky.

  One morning Jimmy met Mr. Galliano as he went across the field to see to the dogs with Lotta. To his great surprise Mr. Galliano had his top-hat on quite straight. This always meant that the ring-master was upset about something, and Jimmy wondered what it was. Jimmy was going to ask him a question, when Mr. Galliano pushed the boy roughly aside.

  This astonished Jimmy so much that he stood and stared. Galliano was never rough like that. The ringmaster saw him staring and shouted at him.

  “Have you no work to do, boy? Then you will do it at once, yes, and not stand gaping like a hungry dog!”

  Jimmy scurried off, and Lotta went with him, rather frightened. “Whatever’s the matter?” she said. “What can be upsetting Mr. Galliano? Didn’t he look angry?”

  The children soon knew what the matter was. Mrs.Galliano was very ill. Sticky Stanley the clown told them, and he had heard it from Madame Prunella, who had been called to Mrs. Galliano in the night.

  “Mr. Galliano thinks the world of his wife,” said Stanley, sewing a black bobble on to his clown’s suit. “The doctor is coming soon, and until he has been and gone, you had better keep out of Galliano’s way.”

  So Lotta and Jimmy kept well out of the way—but Jeanne and Lisa didn’t, and got well slapped for running into him round a caravan. They ran howling to their mother.

  “Serves them right,” said Jimmy, pleased. “They could do with a lot of slappings, those two. I wish I could give them a few!”

  Mrs. Brown went to see if she could help Mrs. Galliano, who lay in the big bed in her caravan, looking white and ill. Nobody knew what was the matter with her, and everyone was very worried, for they all loved the fat and gentle Tessa.

  “Do you suppose she will have to go away from the circus?” Jimmy asked. His mother, Mrs. Brown, nodded her head.

  “I’m rather afraid so,” she said. “She does seem very ill, and she would not be able to stand the noise and excitement of the camp, or go on the road when it moves.”

  The doctor came at last. He stayed a very long time with Mrs. Galliano, Madame Prunella, and the ringmaster. When he came out of the caravan putting on his gloves, he looked rather grave. Mr. Galliano followed him, the tears running down his cheeks and soaking his moustache. The two watching children were alarmed. They had never imagined that Mr. Galliano could shed tears.

  They did not like to see him so sad, and they ran to Jimmy’s caravan. Mrs. Brown went to hear the news and she soon came back and told them.

  “Poor Mrs. Galliano is very ill indeed,” she said. “She has to go to hospital and see a very famous doctor, who may be able to help her. She keeps saying that she won’t leave Galliano, so goodness knows what will happen!”

  “But she can’t stay in that caravan if she is so ill,” said Lotta. “Whatever will happen?”

  The whole circus was worried and upset. They did not dare to talk to Galliano, who strode up and down, biting at his moustache, his hat perfectly straight. Then he went into the caravan and shut the door.

  When he came out again, he called Mr. Wally, Mr. Tonks, and Lilliput. They went over to him, serious and quiet.

  “Boys,” said the ring-master, “I am not going to leave Mrs. Galliano. I am going with her. She cannot stay here, she must go to a hospital, yes—but I cannot let her go alone.”

  “We’re awfully sorry about it, sir,” said Mr. Tonks, looking as unhappy as poor Mr. Galliano. “But what about the circus? It must have a ring-master!”

  “Yes,” said Mr. Galliano. “I have not forgotten that. You will have a ring-master—it will be Britomart!”

  Britomart, the Man without a Smile

  SO Britomart the conjurer was to be at the head of the circus! Mr. Tonks, Mr. Wally, and Stanley looked at Galliano in dismay. None of them liked Britomart, though they knew he was very clever indeed, and had had a circus of his own.

  “Britomart knows how to run a circus,” said Mr. Galliano. “He will do it well, yes! The show is running splendidly now, and it will go on for weeks. Perhaps by the time you are all on the road again I shall come back with Tessa—yes?”

  Nobody said anything. They all felt upset at losing both Mr. and Mrs. Galliano, but they could not beg him to stop behind and let Mrs. Galliano leave alone. The three men looked at the ground, and Mr. Tonks blew his nose so loudly that it almost sounded like Jumbo’s trumpeting.

  Then Mr. Wally spoke. “When are you going, sir?” he asked. “Today?”

  “This morning,” said Mr. Galliano. “Tessa must go at once, the doctor says. A car is coming for her presently—I see it coming in at the gate now, yes! Now, my friends, you will all do your best for Britomart—you will promise me this—yes?”

  “We’ll do our best,” promised Mr. Wally, Mr. Tonks, and Stanley. They shook hands with their ring-master, and with serious, solemn faces watched Madame Prunella, Mrs. Brown, Lal, and a nurse put Mrs. Galliano comfortably in the big car. She smiled bravely at everyone. Then Mr. Galliano, still wearing his riding-breeches, coat, and top-hat, but without his whip, got into the car beside the driver.

  All the circus-folk came running, for now the news had spread like wildfire around the camp.

  “Galliano’s going! Galliano’s going! Quick, come and say goodbye!”

  They all poured out of the caravans, and rushed to wave good-bye—the grooms, Brownie, Pierre, Jeanne, Lisa, the clowns, Mr. Volla, Jimmy, Lotta, Lucky, and Lulu the spaniel—what a crowd there was running beside the big car as it slowly and carefully drove out of the field, with Mr. Galliano waving and trying to smile.

  Then down the country road it went, still slowly, so as not to
jolt Mrs. Galliano. It disappeared round the corner, and everyone looked sad.

  Lotta began to cry. She was very fond of Mrs. Galliano. Jimmy put his arm round her. “Cheer up, Lotta,” he said. “Mrs. Galliano will soon be better—and then Mr. Galliano will be back, and everything will be fine again.”

  There was a loud honking down the road and a great blue-and-silver car swept up to the field-gates. It turned in, and jolted slowly over the field.

  “It’s Britomart!” said Lotta, drying her eyes. “Isn’t he tall!”

  The conjurer seemed even taller that morning. His jet-black eyes gleamed under his bushy eyebrows, as he looked all round the field.

  “Where is Mr. Wally?” he called. Mr. Wally came up.

  “I want a meeting of all the chief performers,” said Britomart. “Then I shall go round the circus and see everything. I shall take the Galliano’s’ caravan for mine, and live in the camp, now that I am to be ring-master.”

  “Certainly, sir,” said Mr. Wally. Sammy came up behind his keeper, and slipped a hairy paw into his.

  “Take that chimpanzee and put him into his cage,” ordered Britomart. “In my circuses performing animals are not allowed to wander about the field loose.”

  “But, sir, Sammy often does,” said Mr. Wally, in surprise. “He’s like a child. He plays with the children and is as good as gold. He mopes if he is shut up always.”

  “I am master here now,” said Britomart in a cold sort of voice. “Shut up the chimpanzee, please.”

  Mr. Wally went off with Sammy, his face as black as thunder. Mr. Galliano had never ordered him about—and here was Britomart giving him orders before he had been in the camp two minutes.

  “Tell two or three women to clean out Mr. Galliano’s caravan for me, and to stack their furniture into an empty van,” said Britomart to Brownie, who was nearby. “I have some of my own things coming this afternoon.”