message
was. But sometimes, deep in the strong man's heart there grew the
strangest longing to go into the fields and reap and bind with the
reapers, so that he too might see the yellow sheaves standing together
when work was over.

In this circus, where he lifted the heaviest weights, and held the
little boy and his own little girl straight out with his hands quite a
long time, it was very wonderful indeed. But there was never anything
after, to show it had been done, except a great deal of clapping and
calling from the people. And this was partly for the children, who had
such round, pleasant faces, and ran away just as soon as the father put
them down. The strong man was always thinking of this when he walked
beside the wagon and looked off over the fields where the men were
working. And it was so with all of them; but as no one spoke of it they
were thought to be a very gay company, for they laughed quite often. And
after all, it did seem to them a very grand thing when they entered the
village. The people ran to the doors and windows, and streamed out of
the inn; and the children ran after the wagon, looking at them with the
greatest wonder.

Whatever sadness they may have felt about their life, they forgot it
entirely when they stood before the people in their spangled suits. Then
it seemed to them quite the greatest thing to make a whole village
stare. They walked about very proudly, and talked in very deep tones.
Sometimes they allowed one or two of the largest boys to help make ready
for the show. In one of the villages, the shoemaker's lame Charlie had
helped lay the carpet on which the strong man stood when he did his
part.

Among these people who went about there was a child. Her name was
Mignon; and when the tumblers had leaped over the high rods and stood
upon each other's shoulders for the last time, and the strong man had
bowed and gone away amid the greatest applause, this Mignon danced for
the people. When it was very still, and the strange, beautiful music
had sounded, she would come slowly forward, and placing her hands on her
breast she would bow very low, and begin to stir and sway in time. How
beautiful it was! It was like a flower in the wind, and all the people
stood still and looked with wonder.

Sometimes she sang; it was the strangest song that ever was sung by a
child. It was always about far-off lands, where it seemed to her the
real joy was. Tears shone in the eyes of all the people a