“Oh, well, there were two the other night—­a little girl and boy; and they said the girl rode splendidly, and was the life of the whole thing.  She was simply wonderful; she——­”

But here the curtain rose and the performance began anew.  Fortune longed to question her loquacious neighbor, but when she turned presently to speak to her she found that she had left the tent.

“Ho, ho!” thought the American woman to herself; “they had a boy and a girl here, had they, and they aren’t here no longer.  Now I wonder if I can strike that trail?  Being from America it would be hard if I didn’t, and also if I didn’t succeed.”

CHAPTER XXV.

FOUND!

When the performance came to an end Fortune suggested to Uncle William that he should go to the best hotel in the place, and give Iris and Apollo some tea.  Iris was loath to leave Fortune’s side, but Fortune bent down and whispered to her to obey.

“I am on the trail,” she said, “and I don’t want to be interrupted.  I don’t mind telling you, Iris, that the tea is all an excuse.  You get your uncle to take you to the hotel, and keep him there until I join him.  Now, go off this minute, like a good girl.”

Iris looked into Fortune’s small, but honest, eyes, and felt once again that her feel was leading her in the right direction.

“Uncle William, I should like some tea very much,” she said.

“Well, then, my dear, if you want tea you shall have it,” replied Uncle William.

He hailed a fly, and took the children immediately to the best hotel in the town.

When Fortune found herself alone she turned round, and gazed to right and left of her.  The great tent was almost empty, for the spectators had all departed; a few, however, were standing in little groups talking to one another.  Fortune edged near one of these.  It consisted of a good-looking young man and two pretty girls.  They were standing opposite the poster which gave such a lifelike account of little Diana and Orion.

“I see you are reading that poster,” said Fortune, “and maybe you’re interested?”

“Why, of course we are,” said one of the girls, turning and looking at Fortune.

“Now, I wonder,” continued Fortune Squeers, “if it lies anywhere in your power to give me a bit of help?  Fact is, I’m interested in the children described in that poster, and as I was sitting inside the circus, I heard a neighbor say that the children belonging to your show were not present.  Being an American, I never lose any clews, and there may be just the ghost of a chance that the children who were not at the performance to-day are the very identical same children that are written about in that there poster.  Maybe you has heard of those children—­that is, if you are Madersley folk?”

“Yes, yes; we are Madersley folk,” said the young man, now turning and speaking eagerly to Fortune.