graceful Equestrian Tyrolean Flower-Act,
was then announced by a new clown (who
humorously said Cauliflower Act), and Mr.
Sleary appeared, leading her in.

Mr. Sleary had only made one cut at the
Clown with his long whip-lash, and the
Clown had only said, "If you do it again, I'll
throw the horse at you!" when Sissy was
recognised both by father and daughter. But
they got through the Act with great self-
possession; and Mr. Sleary, saving for the
first instant, conveyed no more expression
into his locomotive eye than into his
fixed one. The performance seemed a little
long to Sissy and Louisa, particularly
when it stopped to afford the Clown an
opportunity of telling Mr. Sleary (who said
"Indeed, sir!" to all his observations in the
calmest way, and with his eye on the
house), about two legs sitting on three legs
looking at one leg, when in came four legs,
and laid hold of one leg, and up got two legs,
caught hold of three legs, and threw them at
four legs, who ran away with one leg. For,
although an ingenious Allegory relating to a
butcher, a three-legged stool, a dog, and a leg
of mutton, this narrative consumed time, and
they were in great suspense. At last,
however, little fair-haired Josephine made her
curtsey amid great applause; and the Clown,
left alone in the ring, had just warmed himself,
and said, "Now I'll have a turn!" when
Sissy was touched on the shoulder, and
beckoned out.

She took Louisa with her; and they were
received by Mr. Sleary in a very little private
apartment, with canvas sides, a grass floor,
and a wooden ceiling all aslant, on which the
box company stamped their approbation as if
they were coming through. "Thethilia,"
said Mr. Sleary, who had brandy and water
at hand, "it doth me good to thee you. You
wath alwayth a favorite with uth, and you've
done uth credith thinth the old timeth I'm
thure. You mutht thee our people, my dear,
afore we thpeak of bithnith, or they'll break
their hearth—ethpethially the women.
Here'th Jothphine hath been and got
married to E. W. B. Childerth, and thee hath
got a boy, and though he'th only three yearth
old, he thtickth on to any pony you can bring
againtht him. He'th named The Little
Wonder Of Thcolathtic Equitation; and if
you don't hear of that boy at Athley'th, you'll
hear of him at Parith. And you recollect
Kidderminthter, that wath thought to be
rather thweet upon yourthelf? Well. He'th
married too. Married a widder. Old
enough to be hith mother. Thee wath Tightrope,
thee wath, and now thee'th nothing—on
accounth of fat. They've got two children,
tho we're thtrong in the Fairy bithnith and
the Nurthery dodge. If you wath to thee
our Children in the Wood, with their father
and mother both a dyin' on a horthe—their
uncle a rethieving of 'em ath hith wardth,
upon a horthe—themthelvth both a goin' a
black-berryin' on a horthe—and the Robinth
a coming in to cover 'em with leavth, upon a
horthe—you'd thay it wath the completetht
thing ath ever you thet your eyeth on!
And you remember Emma Gordon, my dear,
ath wath a'motht a mother to you? Of
courthe you do; I needn't athk. Well!
Emma, thee lotht her huthband. He wath
throw'd a heavy back-fall off a Elephant in a
thort of a Pagoda thing ath the Thultan of
the Indieth, and he never got the better of it;
and thee married a thecond time—married a
Cheethemonger ath fell in love with her from
the front—and he'th a Overtheer and makin'
a fortun!"

These various changes, Mr. Sleary, very
short of breath now, related with great
heartiness, and with a wonderful kind of
innocence, considering what a bleary and
brandy-and-watery old veteran he was.
Afterwards he brought in Josephine, and
E. W. B. Childers (rather deeply-lined in the
jaws by daylight), and The Little Wonder of
Scholastic Equitation, and, in a word, all the
company. Amazing creatures they were in
Louisa's eyes, so white and pink of
complexion, so scant of dress, and so demonstrative
of leg; but it was very agreeable
to see them crowding about Sissy, and
very natural in Sissy to be unable to refrain
from tears.

"There! Now Thethilia hath kithd all
the children, and hugged all the women, and
thaken handth all round with all the men,
clear, every one of you, and ring in the band
for the thecond part!" said Sleary.

As soon as they were gone, he continued in
a low tone. "Now, Thethilia, I don't athk
to know any thecreth, but I thuppothe I may
conthider thith to be Mith Thquire?"

"This is his sister. Yes."

"And t'other one'th daughter. That'h
what I mean. Hope I thee you well, mith.
And I hope the Thquire'th well?"

"My father will be here soon," said
Louisa, anxious to bring him to the point.
"Is my brother safe?"

"Thafe and thound!" he replied. "I
want you jutht to take a peep at the Ring,
mith, through here. Thethilia, you know
the dodgeth; find a thpy-hole for yourthelf."

They each looked through a chink in the
boards.

"That'h Jack the Giant Killer— piethe
of comic infant bithnith," said Sleary.
"There'th a property-houthe, you thee, for
Jack to hide in; there'th my Clown with a
thauthepan-lid and a thpit, for Jack'th thervant;
there'th little Jack himthelf in a
thplendid thoot of armour; there'th two
comic black thervanth twithe ath big ath
the houthe, to thtand by it and to bring it in
and clear it; and the Giant (a very expenthive
bathket one), he an't on yet. Now, do
you thee 'em all?"

"Yes," they both said.

"Look at 'em again," said Sleary, "look at