"Tell me what you can about Letty, Mrs. Drake. We are very much interested," said grandmother and she explained who she was and why she was so much interested in the little circus girl.

"I am very sorry for Letty, mem," replied Mrs. Drake sadly. "Her mother's death was very hard on her, poor little thing, and then when her brother was killed last year she could scarcely get over the shock."

"Poor, poor child! But you have been very good to her, Mrs. Drake. She spoke very affectionately of you just now."

"She has been with us ever since her mother's death, but I don't know what's to become of her now," and the good woman sighed. "I promised her brother she should be to us like our own child, and so she has, up to now."

"And what is to happen now?" asked Mrs. Baker with sympathy.

"Oh, didn't my husband tell you that we are giving up the circus? This will be our last appearance; the circus breaks up to-night. Mr. Drake has sold the menagerie and most of the troupe have got other positions.

We shall stay here two or three days, I think, until Mr. Drake sells some of the work horses."

"Have the Shetland ponies been sold?"

"Not yet. They'd be very nice for children to have as pets," replied Mrs. Drake quickly, with an eye to business.

Mrs. Baker smiled understandingly.

"I was not thinking of ourselves, but of a friend of mine," she said quietly. "But, Mrs. Drake, I want to ask you please to keep me posted about Letty's whereabouts. Here is my card with the address on it. In the autumn I think I should like to place her in some good school where she can study and be equipped for making her way in the world. I am sure my daughter-in-law would be glad to have me do it in return for Letty's act of heroism in saving the children's lives. My daughter did try to find the child that same autumn after her mother's death."

"She was living with us, quite in the neighborhood. But I never thought of leaving an address," exclaimed Mrs. Drake in some dismay. "I should hate to think I had stood in Letty's way of getting settled in life.

Indeed, Mrs. Baker, she would repay any kindness shown her, no matter for what reason," she continued earnestly. "Her mother was a real lady and always hoped her little girl could be properly brought up. She's far above such folk as us, mem," she added humbly.

Indeed, Mrs. Baker's idea was to begin doing something for Letty's good before the autumn, but this plan must be considered very seriously before it could be carried out.

Letty and the twins came running back to them. Letty's eyes were shining and there was a pink glow in her thin cheeks. She looked more like her old, bright, cheerful self than she had since her mother's death. The children were greatly excited.

"Oh, grandmother," exclaimed Jane, "Letty says the Shetland ponies are for sale and we thought--"

"We thought Mrs. Hartwell-Jones might want to buy 'em," put in Christopher.

"Don't you remember, grandmother," went on Jane, "how Mrs.

Hartwell-Jones said after she had sprained her ankle that she wished she had a Bath chair and when Kit asked what that was she said it was a big chair with wheels that they harnessed a pony to, to drive sick people about. So I thought--"

"We thought Mrs. Hartwell-Jones might like to buy Punch and Judy,"

finished Christopher, taking advantage of Jane's breathlessness to put the climax to her tale.

Mrs. Baker smiled.

"Bless your hearts, children, I had thought of the very same thing. We must talk it over with Mrs. Hartwell-Jones. There is plenty of time."

"And, grandmother, Josh came to tell us dinner is ready. Please, can't Letty come to the picnic with us?"

"There's apple pie," added Christopher.

Of course Huldah had made apple pie for the picnic. She would have felt obliged to make those pies-with quant.i.ties of cinnamon-if she had had to neglect her whole week's baking to do it!

Mrs. Drake glanced at Letty's eager, wistful face.

"You want to go, don't you?" she said aside to her.

"Oh, yes, I would like to go, so much-if you can spare me, Mrs. Drake,"

replied Letty, trying to think of some one else before herself.

Grandmother overheard this unselfish little speech and it helped to strengthen the resolve that was forming in her mind.

The picnic was a very jolly affair, and Letty felt that she had not enjoyed herself so much since that happy summer, three long years before-which she and her mother had spent out in the country near Willow Grove. When everybody had eaten as much as he or she could possibly hold (and Christopher a wee bit more) Letty won Huldah's heart by insisting upon helping with the tidying up.

"I always help Mrs. Drake, so please let me," she said.

The twins asked leave to help too, and found it great fun to wash dishes in the brook. The time pa.s.sed by much more rapidly than any one realized and Letty had to run off very hastily at length, in order to be ready in time to take her place in the grand march at the opening of the circus performance. It was agreed before she left that Mr. Baker should return in the morning to see about Punch and Judy and he promised the twins to bring them with him, that they might have another visit with Letty.

Soon it was time for every one who was to attend the circus to go inside the tent. Grandfather gave Joshua tickets for Huldah and himself, and then he and grandmother and the twins crossed the wide field again.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THEY GIGGLED AT EVERYTHING THE CLOWN SAID]

There was a great hubbub about the group of tents; men were calling out the attractions of the side-shows, a band was playing and boys moved about through the crowd with trays of peanuts and lemonade, shouting their wares in shrill, loud voices.

All boys and girls who have been to a circus know exactly how Jane and Christopher felt when they got inside that tent. It was not the first circus they had been to, by any means, but that does not make any difference; one always has that same furry creepiness in the back of one's neck, and the same swelled-up, lost breath, wish-to-laugh-without-being-heard feeling.

They giggled at everything the clown said and did, clapped their hands wildly when the trick elephant bowed and waltzed; and shut their eyes tight-at least Jane did-when the "human fly" walked upside down on a piece of boarding suspended from the top of the tent like a ceiling.

Christopher liked the Indians attacking the stage-coach best, and wriggled rapturously at each blood-curdling war-whoop. But Jane was faithful to her love of the lady in pink tights and watched her with open eyes and open mouth, as she stood jauntily upright upon a barebacked horse and sprang gracefully through paper-covered hoops.

"I wonder if Letty knows her," she whispered to Christopher. "I mean to ask to-morrow."

But it was the Shetland ponies and their little trainer that held grandmother's attention. She watched Letty long and carefully, and said something to grandfather in a voice too low for the children to hear.

That evening, after Jane and Christopher were tucked away in bed, the grown-ups, Mr. and Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Hartwell-Jones, had a long, long talk together. It was all about Letty, or most of it, for the Shetland ponies came in for a little share in the discussion.

Dear little Letty, if only she could have overheard that conversation she would not have spent such a wakeful, unhappy night. She had pa.s.sed three very hard, sad years, but better days were in sight again. As her mother had said, the little girl had the faculty of making friends.

CHAPTER VI

LETTY

Letty spent a restless night. At first she had been much excited by seeing the twins again and looked forward to their return in the morning with much impatience. Jane and Christopher had wanted her to go home with them that afternoon, to let Mrs. Hartwell-Jones see the ponies and settle the matter at once.

But Mr. Drake could not allow this for two reasons. To begin with, a long country trip would be too much for the ponies, together with their march in the procession and two performances. For there was to be another performance of the circus in the evening, and Mr. Drake's second reason was that Letty might not get back in time for it if she went out to Sunnycrest. Jane was disappointed, for she had not known about the second performance, and was hoping to keep Letty overnight. But it was settled that they should all return very early in the morning and to that time Letty looked forward eagerly until all at once it came over her that she had no cause for rejoicing.

"Of course I shall be awfully glad to see Jane and Christopher again,"

she told herself, lying wide awake and thoughtful on her cot in the small tent in which she slept as guardian of the fat Drake baby, "but after all what good will it do me? They will be here with me for a little while and then will go away again, and I shall probably never see them again. And they will probably take Punch and Judy, too. Oh, oh, I am to lose my dear little friends and what will become of me?" And she began to cry softly.

Poor little Letty! She had not had a happy life since her mother's death. It was not from lack of kindness, for Mrs. Drake in her quiet, dull way, had been as kind as possible. And dear Ben had been her splendid, good big brother, gay and kind and thoughtful to her always.