as a sad visit Toby paid Mr. Stubbs's brother that morning; and, as
he petted him, the tears came into his eyes when he thought of poor
Abner, until he was obliged to leave the monkey to himself, after having
tied him so that he could take a short run out of doors.

Then he visited the ponies in the stable, and when he returned to the
house he found all his partners in the circus enterprise, as well as
several other boys, waiting to hear an account of the accident.

Dr. Abbott had reported that Abner had been injured; but, as he had not
given any particulars, the villagers were in a state of anxious
uncertainty regarding it.

After Toby had told them all he knew about the matter, and had allowed
them to see the monkey and the ponies, which some of them seemed to
regard as of more importance than the injured boy, Bob asked:

"Well, now what about our circus?"

"Why, we can't do anything on that till Abner gets well," said Toby, as
if surprised that the matter should even be spoken about.

"Why not? He wasn't goin' to do any of the ridin', an' now's the time
for us to go ahead while we can remember what they did at the show
yesterday. It don't make any difference 'bout our circus if he did get
hurt," and Bob looked around at the others as if asking whether they
agreed with him or not.

"I think we ought to wait till he gets better," said Joe, "'cause he was
goin' in with us, an' it don't seem jest fair to have the show when he's
so sick."

"That's foolish," said Ben, with a sneer. "If he hadn't come up to the
pasture the other day, you wouldn't thought anything 'bout him, an' he'd
been out to the poor-farm where he belongs."

"If he hadn't come up there," said Toby, "I'd never known how lonesome
he was, an' I'd gone right on havin' a good time without ever once
thinkin' of him. An' if he hadn't come up there, perhaps he wouldn't got
hurt, an' it seems almost as if I'd done it to him, 'cause I took him to
the circus."

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Toby Tyler!" and Ben Gushing spoke
almost angrily. "You act awful silly 'bout that feller, an' father says
he's only a pauper anyway."

"It wouldn't make any difference if he was, 'cause he's a poor lonesome
cripple; but he hain't a pauper, for old Ben's goin' to take care of
him, an' he pays Uncle Dan'l for lettin' him stay here."

This news was indeed surprising to the boys, and as they fully realized
that Abner was under the protection of a "circus man," he ro