“Well, sir, do you know anything about the children who were not in the circus to-day?”

“I have heard of them, of course,” said the man.  “Don’t you remember, Amelia,” he added, “when I came home last Saturday night how I told you we must go and see Holt’s circus, for he had got a little girl who was riding wonderfully?  I could not manage it on Saturday, and to-day, it seems, she’s off.”

“And he had a boy as well, hadn’t he?” said Fortune.

“Yes, there was talk of a boy; but he didn’t seem to have the spirit of his sister.  Anyhow, they are neither of them playing to-day, and, for my part, I thought the performance lame.”

“Well, that’s my opinion,” said Fortune.  “No American would go the length of the road to see anything so poor and common.  And so the children are off—­but the children were on.  Now, I wish to goodness I could see those children.”

“I don’t suppose they have anything to do with the lost children who are spoken of in these posters,” said the man.  “They say they were brown as gypsies, that the boy was timid, and the girl rode wonderfully.  She must have been trained for some time to ride as well as she did.”

Not being able to get anything more out of these folks, Fortune turned on her heel and wandered in another direction.  She crossed the entrance to the great tent, and made for the exit at the opposite side of the field.  In doing this she ran right up against a fair-haired, rather pretty circus girl.

“My dear,” said Fortune, “you’ll excuse my stopping to speak to you, but will you tell me if I can get into the town by the gate yonder?”

“It’s rather a roundabout way,” answered the girl, “but you can go, of course.  You will have to walk quite a way down a country lane, then turn to your left, and it will bring you to the other side of the town.”

“Fact is,” continued Fortune, “I’m anxious to see some more of those posters.  I’m mighty took with them.  They seem to describe a most elegant little pair of children.”

The girl uttered a sigh and changed color.

“Maybe, miss,” said Fortune, fixing her with her keen eyes, “you can tell me something about ’em?  Now, if you could, and would, it would be worth your while.”

“Oh, I know nothing at all,” said the girl, in alarm.  “What should I know?”

“How is it,” continued Fortune, “that the little children belonging to your circus were not present this afternoon?  It seems a sort of cheating of the public.”

“The little children belonging to our circus?” repeated the girl.  “But we hasn’t no children.”  She turned very white now, and suddenly leaving Fortune, ran as fast as ever she could in the direction of the tent.

Fortune followed her with her eyes.  She saw a dark man peeping out.

“That girl is frightened; she’s hiding something,” thought the woman.  “There’s no doubt the trail strengthens, and I, being an American—­well, well, ’taint likely I’m going to leave off now.  Yes, hot grows the trail.”