He looked anxiously at Ben, sniffed disdainfully at the strap as if to
remind him that a scarlet ribbon ought to take its place, and poked
peanut shells about with his paw as if searching for the letters with
which to spell his famous name.

"I know, old boy, I know; but it can't be done. We've quit the
business and must just look on. No larks for us this time, Sanch, so
keep quiet and behave," whispered Ben, tucking the dog away under the
seat with a sympathetic cuddle of the curly head that peeped out from
between his feet.

"He wants to go and cut up, don't he?" said Billy, "and so do you, I
guess. Wish you were going to. Wouldn't it be fun to see Ben showing
off in there?"

"I'd be afraid to have him go up on a pile of elephants and jump
through hoops like these folks," answered Bab, poring over her
pictured play-bill with unabated relish.

"Done it a hundred times, and I'd just like to show you what I can
do. They don't seem to have any boys in this lot; shouldn't wonder if
they'd take me if I asked 'em," said Ben, moving uneasily on his seat
and casting wistful glances toward the inner tent where he knew he
would feel more at home than in his present place.

[Illustration: AT THE CIRCUS.]

"I heard some men say that it's against the law to have small boys
now; it's so dangerous and not good for them, this kind of thing. If
that's so, you're done for. Ben," observed Sam, with his most grown-up