'No; that's the worst of it,' said the girl; 'I left them. I put the baby
in its crib upstairs, and I told Maggie to look after it, and then I put
the table in front of the fire, and locked them in, and put the key in the
window. I thought I should only be away a short time.'

'How long were you?'

'When I got to the town the procession was just passing, and I stopped to
look at it. And when I saw the men and women sitting upon the cars, I
thought they were kings and queens. Well, I went to the circus and saw all
that there was to be seen; and then I looked at the church clock, and found
it was five o'clock, for the exhibition had not been till the afternoon. I
knew my mother would be home, and I did not like to go back; I wondered
what she would say to me about leaving the children. So I walked round the
circus for some time, looking at the gilded cars, which were drawn up in
the field. And as I was looking at them, an old man came up to me and began
talking to me. He asked me what I thought of the circus; and I told him I
thought it splendid. Then he asked me what I liked best, and I said those
ladies in gold and silver who were sitting on the gilt cars.

'"Would you like to be dressed like that?" he said.

'"Yes, that I should," I said, as I looked down at my dress--my best Sunday
dress, which I had once thought so smart.

'"Well," he said mysteriously, "I don't know, but perhaps I may get you
that chance; just wait here a minute, and I'll see."

'I stood there trembling, hardly knowing what to wish. At last he came