t
tall, with a shaggy mane of black hair. His muscles stood out in great
knots under the suit of green tights which he wore.

"A Giant he is! Faith, he could toss me over his shoulder like a
meal-bag!" muttered the Blacksmith, who stood with crossed arms looking
over the heads of the crowd. "And the wicked face of him! Ugh! I
would not wish a quarrel with him!"

But the little boys in the front row were most interested in the third
tumbler, who stood between the other two, with his arms folded, ready
to begin.

This also was a figure in green, with short trunks of tarnished
cloth-of-gold. But beside the Giant, in the same dress, he looked like
a pigmy or a fairy mite. This third tumbler was a little fellow of
about eight, very slender and childish in form, but lithe and
well-knit. Instead of being dark and gypsy-like, as were the other
three of the wandering band, this boy was fair, with a shock of golden
hair falling about his shoulders, and with a skin of unusual whiteness,
despite his life of exposure to sun and hard weather. And the eyes
that looked wistfully at the children in front of him were blue as the
depths into which the skylarks were at that moment diving rapturously.
On the upper eyelid of the boy's left eye was a brown spot as big as an
apple-seed. And this gave him a strange expression which was hard to
forget. When he was grave, as now, it made him seem about to cry. If
he should smile, the spot would give the mischievous look of a wink.
But Gigi so seldom smiled in those days that few perhaps had noted
this. On his left cheek was a dark spot also. But this was only a
bruise. Bruises Gigi always had. But they were not always in the same
place.

"Oh, the sweet Cherub!" said a motherly voice in the crowd. "I wonder
if they are good to him. They look like cut-throats and murderers, but
he is like the image of the little Saint John in church. Wolves, with
a lamb in their clutches! Save us all! Suppose it were my Beppo!"

At these words of his mother's, Beppo giggled, and the boy looked at
him gravely. The Hunchback with the drum had heard, too, and darted a
furious glance into the crowd where the woman stood. Then, giving a
loud double beat on the drum, he signaled for the tumbling to begin.

The three kicked off the sandals which protected their feet, stepped
upon the carpet, and saluted the spectators. The Giant stretched
himself flat, and, seizing Gigi in his strong arms, t