continued Ambrose earnestly.

"Do with it!" repeated his sister. "Why, I should give it back to the
person who lost it, of course."

"But suppose you couldn't find out who it belonged to, or suppose the
people were dead."

Pennie was tired of supposing.

"Oh! I should ask mother what to do," she said, dismissing the
question. "I can hear the band," she suddenly added.

Ambrose gave a little sigh, as all the children quickened their
footsteps at this welcome sound.

There was no advice to be got from Pennie. He must shake off the
thought of his tiresome secret and enjoy himself as much as he could
to-day. Afterwards there would be time to trouble about it. And now
they were getting quite near to the tents and flags and gaily-painted
caravans and confused noises of men and beasts. Nurse seized Dickie's
unwilling hand as they reached the turnstile which admitted them into
the field.

"Keep close together, my dears," she said anxiously. "You stay along
with me, Miss Pennie, and Miss Nancy and Jane, you come after me with
the other two."

She looked distractedly at the little faces smiling with delight and
eager to plunge into the pleasures of the fair. Since Dickie had once
run away quite alone to go to the circus she had always been more
nervous about the children.

"Jane," she said sharply to the small nursery-maid, "what are you gaping
at? Keep your wits about you, do."

Jane, who had never been inside a fair before, was gazing open-mouthed
at an enormous portrait of the "Living Skeleton." She turned to Nurse
with a face from which all expression had gone but one of intense
surprise.

"You're not a bit of use," said Nurse. "See here, Master David, I can
depend on _you_. Keep with Master Ambrose and Jane as close to me as
you can. And if you lose sight of me in the crowd be at the gate by
four o'clock and wait there for the carriage."

David nodded, and Nurse, with one more severe look at Jane, plunged into
the crowd with Dickie toddling beside her.

How gay, how enchanting it all was! Boom, boom went the drums. "Walk
in, ladies and gentlemen. Here you will see the performing seal, the
Circassian beauty, the Chinese giant, and the smallest dwarf in the
world." Next to those attractions came the circus, outside of which, on
a raised platform, stood harlequin, clown, and columbine, all in a row,
and in full dress.

"Here we are again," cried the clown. "How are you to-morrow?"

How ki