cording to our fellow-performers. We
had never seen her; she was killed by diving into her tank when the
circus was at Antwerp in April.

"Can't we get up something like that?" I suggested, hopelessly.

"Who would do it? Miss Claridge's fish-tights are in the prop-box;
who's to wear them?"

He began to say something else, but stopped suddenly, eyes fixed. We
were seated nearly opposite each other, and I turned around, following
the direction of his eyes.

Jacqueline stood behind me in the smoky light of the torch--Jacqueline,
bare of arm and knee, with her sea-blue eyes very wide and the witch-locks
clustering around the dim oval of her face. After a moment's absolute
silence she said: "I came from Paradise. Don't you remember?"

"From Paradise?" said Speed, smiling; "I thought it might be from
elf-land."

And I said: "Of course I remember you, Jacqueline. And I have an idea
you ought to be in bed."

There was another silence.

"Won't you sit down?" asked Speed.

"Thank you," said Jacqueline, gravely.

She seated herself on a sack of sawdust, clasping her slender hands
between her knees, and looked earnestly at the elephant.

"He won't harm you," I assured her.

"If you think I am afraid of _that_," she said, "you are mistaken,
Monsieur Scarlett."

"I don't think you are afraid of anything," observed Speed, smiling;
"but I know you are capable of astonishment."

"How do you know that?" demanded the girl.

"Because I saw you with your drum on the high-road when we came past
Paradise. Your eyes were similar to saucers, and your mouth was not
closed, Mademoiselle Jacqueline."

"Oh--pour ca--yes, I was astonished," she said. Then, with a quick,
upward glance: "Were you riding, in armor, on a horse?"

"No," said Speed; "I was on that elephant's head."

This appeared to make a certain impression on Jacqueline. She became
shyer of speech for a while, until he asked her, jestingly, why she
did not join the circus.

"It is what I wish," she said, under her breath.

"And ride white horses?"

"Will you take me?" she cried, passionately, springing to her feet.

Amazed at her earnestness, I tried to explain that such an idea was
out of the question. She listened anxiously at first, then her eyes
fell and she stood there in the torch-light, head hanging.

"Don't you know," said Speed, kindly, "that it takes years of
practice to do what circus people do? And the life is not gay,
Jacqueline; it is hard fo