Google and Pierre were pleased, for they were the favourites of Britomart. But no one else looked pleased except Lisa and Jeanne. With whisperings and mutterings the rest of the circus-folk went back to their caravans sad at heart. Galliano wasn’t coming back for half a year. They couldn’t work for Britomart so long. It was impossible. The circus must break up.
That day Mr. Volla went to Britomart and warned him that he and his bears would leave the circus when the run was finished. Lilliput said the same. Mr. Tonks said the same too, but very sadly, for he had been with Mr. Galliano’s Circus for many years. Oona the acrobat said he was going, and Sticky Stanley the clown.
And Jimmy marched up the caravan steps, too, and told the ring-master that he and Lucky would find a new circus as soon as they left the show-place they were in. Jimmy’s heart beat fast as he said this, for Britomart was angry and white.
“Go then,” he said to Jimmy. “There are many dogs as clever as yours. We shall not miss you!”
Jimmy went to find Lotta. He told her that he had warned Britomart that he and Lucky would soon be looking for another circus. He had already spoken about it to his mother and father, and they were quite willing to leave, and to go seeking a happier circus in their pretty blue-and-yellow caravan. They had plenty of money for a holiday first.
Lotta flew to find Lal and Laddo. “Lal! Laddo! Everyone’s leaving Britomart’s circus. Have you told him we will go too? I won’t stay! I won’t!”
Lal and Laddo looked grave. Laddo shook his head. “We can’t go, Lotta,” he said. “We signed a paper to promise Britomart that we would stay with him for at least a year. We shall have to stay.”
“Laddo!” cried Lotta in horror. “You don’t mean we’ll have to stay! You can’t mean that! Why, everyone’s going—even Jimmy! I can’t be left behind if Jimmy’s going!”
“You’ll have to stay behind,” said Lal. “The others only promised to stay till the end of this show, but Britomart made us promise to stay for a year. We promised for you too, Lotta. So you’ll have to make the best of it.”
“Oh! Oh!” wailed Lotta. “Everything’s going wrong again! Oh, Lal! Let me go with Mrs. Brown and Jimmy, and you stay on here.”
“Of course not, Lotta,” said Laddo. “Don’t be such a baby. We have to earn our living—and we are staying on with Britomart to earn it. He pays us well, and though we don’t like him, it can’t be helped. It’s time you grew up a little and knew that you have often to do things you don’t like.”
Lotta fled away, sobbing. She found Jimmy and poured out her woes to him. Jimmy was horrified. “Oh, goodness, Lotta—I’d never, never have said I’d go if I’d thought you’d have to stay. I’ll go and tell Britomart that I’ll stay on!”
But that wasn’t any good. Britomart was sharp and short with Jimmy. “Once you give me your notice and say you want to go, that finishes it,” said Britomart in his cold, deep voice.
“Now here’s a fine old muddle,” thought Jimmy in dismay. “How in the world are we going to get out of it? I don’t know.”
Lotta Disappears!
THE show was going to come to an end in a week’s time. The circus had had a marvellous run, but it was now time to move on. As the circus-folk had made a great deal of money, most of them meant to have a holiday before joining another circus. But nobody felt very happy even about their holiday.
“It’s so horrid to split up like this, just when we had such a good show together,” said Lilliput, stroking Jemima, who was round his neck as usual—though on a lead now.
“But we can most of us meet in another circus,” said Jimmy hopefully.
Lilliput shook his head. “Some of us may,” he said, “but it rather depends on who is already in a circus, you know. For instance, you might be taken on with Mr. Phillippino’s show, Jimmy, because he has no performing dogs at all at present, and he’d be glad to have you—but I wouldn’t be taken on there because there is already a trainer with seven monkeys. Phillippino’s wouldn’t want two lots of monkeys.”
“I see,” said Jimmy, his heart sinking. “Oh, Lilliput—I shall so hate to say good-bye to any of my friends. As for leaving Lotta behind, I can’t bear to think of it.”
“Well, you’ll have to, old son,” said Lilliput sadly. “That’s the worst of the circus-world—there are such a lot of good-byes; but never mind, we usually meet again in the end.”
“I never want to meet Lisa and Jeanne again,” said Jimmy fiercely. “And they’ll probably be the very ones I shall meet!”
Lilliput laughed. “Cheer up! Those youngsters will get themselves into trouble one day. I can see it coming.”
When Lotta’s two weeks were up, Britomart sent a message to Lal to say that Lotta might ride in the ring again that night. There was now hardly one more week left of the show, and he wanted the clever little girl to do her turn.
“Lal, what about Lisa and Jeanne?” asked Lotta. “They won’t be riding in the ring, will they, if I do?”
“Yes,” said Lal. “Their mother has made them frocks of their own, and Britomart says they may share your turn. They have done very well, Lotta. I don’t like either of them, but they are quite clever with horses.”
“If they are going to share my turn, I won’t go into the ring,” said Lotta, sticking out her round little chin in a determined manner.
“You’ll have to, if Britomart says you are to,” said Lal. “Don’t be silly, Lotta. You are acting like a baby. It was your own fault that you were punished, after all.”
“Well, it just wasn’t!” said Lotta. “It was Lisa’s fault. I didn’t tell you before—but everything has been Lisa’s fault, really it has, Lal. And it is a dreadful feeling to think I’ll have to stay on with Britomart’s circus, and see that horrid Lisa every day!”
Lotta was nearly in tears. Lal was very sorry for the little girl, but she couldn’t see that things could be altered. Lal knew very well that it was impossible to have everything as one liked it—sometimes things went well and sometimes they went badly. Well, people just had to put up with whatever happened, and show a brave face and laugh, that was all!
“Mrs. Brown has washed and ironed your circus-frock,” she said. “Lisa had made it dirty. It is ready for you to put on tonight. You can go and dress in Jimmy’s caravan, Mrs. Brown says, and she will see that your dress is all right. Now dry your eyes and be cheerful, for goodness’ sake!”
Mrs. Brown had ironed Lotta’s pretty, shining frock, and it looked beautiful. It was on a hanger at the end of Mrs. Brown’s spotless caravan, waiting for Lotta to put on that evening.
“Lotta will love riding Black Beauty in the ring again,” thought Mrs. Brown. “It’s a pity that the child has had such a bad time lately—but I really think she is nicer now, so perhaps she has learnt a few lessons. How I shall miss her when we leave!”
Jimmy was helping Laddo with the dogs. Lal was with her beloved horses. Mrs. Brown looked at the clock and hoped that Lotta wouldn’t come in too late to change. “I want to give her hair a good brush, and see that she gets a really good wash,” said Mrs. Brown. “Shedoesn’t look as if she has washed properly for days, the little monkey!”
The hands of the clock moved on slowly. Lotta was late! Mrs. Brown looked out of her caravan to find the little girl.
“Lotta!” she called. “Lotta! Hurry up! It’s getting late!”
But Lotta didn’t answer. She wasn’t anywhere nearby, so. Mrs. Brown hurried over to Jimmy.
“Jimmy! For goodness’ sake find Lotta and tell her she really must come now. I want to get her clean and tidy, and see that her frock is all right. Hurry now—she must be somewhere over at the other end of the field.”
“Right, Mother,” said Jimmy, who had nearly finished his job. He put down the last dish of fresh water in the dogs’ big cage and ran off to get Lotta.
“I guess she’s hiding away so that she doesn’t have to go into the ring with Lisa and Jeanne,” thought the boy, who understood fierce little Lotta
very well indeed. “I don’t blame her! I’d just hate to share my turn with those horrid girls.”
He called Lotta. There was no answer. He looked under all the caravans, but no Lotta was there. He even stood on tiptoe and looked on top of the vans, for since Lisa and Jeanne had come, Lotta had often climbed to the roofs with the two girls.
At last Jimmy gave it up. He went back to his caravan, and called to his mother.
“Mother! I can’t find Lotta. I’m afraid she’s hiding. I’ve looked everywhere.”
“The naughty little girl!” said Mrs. Brown, vexed. “Really, she thinks she can do exactly as she likes! Here I’ve got everything ready for her—and she’ll be very late.”
“Mother, I don’t think Lotta means to go into the ring with Lisa and Jeanne,” said Jimmy. “I think she’s hidden herself away so that she shan’t.”
“Well, she will get into serious trouble with Britomart then,” said Mrs. Brown anxiously. “Look—here are Lisa and Jeanne—perhaps they know where Lotta is.”
But they didn’t. They were surprised to hear that Lotta was not to be found. Lisa nudged Jeanne with her elbow and whispered something to her. Jimmy couldn’t hear what it was.
The two girls ran off to Britomart’s caravan. Jimmy watched them. “Nasty tell-tales!’“ he said. “Look, Mother—they’ve gone to tell Britomart that Lotta’s hiding. How they do love to get people into trouble!”
But they had gone to say something else as well! Lisa knocked on Britomart’s door, and he called out in his deep voice, “Come in!”
Lisa opened the door timidly. Britomart glared at her. “Oh—it’s you. Have you got a message from your father?”
“No, Mr. Britomart,” said Lisa. “We’ve just come to say that Lotta won’t go into the ring with us tonight. She’s hiding!”
“I will not have such disobedience!” Britomart growled. “Her father shall whip her for this.”
“I know how you could punish her,” said Lisa boldly. “She loves her pony, Black Beauty, and she won’t let anyone else ride him. But I could ride him, Mr. Britomart! And when Lotta hears that someone else has taken her own pony into the ring, she will be sorry that she disobeyed you.”
Britomart looked at the red-haired Lisa and her sly little face. “Very well,” he said shortly. “Get her pony and ride it. It will teach her to come to her senses.”
Lisa and Jeanne flew off, afraid that Britomart would change his mind. To ride Black Beauty in the ring! This was something that the little girls had always longed to do.
They ran to tell Jimmy. He was astonished to see them running back so quickly, looking so excited.
“Jimmy! Get Black Beauty out for us! Britomart says we can ride him in the ring tonight, as Lotta won’t.”
“You horrid little tell-tales,” said Jimmy. “No—I won’t get Black Beauty for-you! Get him yourself—and I hope he bites you!”
Jimmy slammed the caravan door in a rage. Lisa and Jeanne rushed off to the stables, pretty little figures in their bunchy dresses sewn with glittering sequins. Nobody would have guessed that they could be such horrid little girls.
They flung open the door of the stable-van and went to Black Beauty’s stall.
It was empty! No Black Beauty was there!” Where is he?” said Lisa in dismay. “He must be in one of the other stalls.”
The two girls hurriedly ran down the stable-vans and looked for Black Beauty. But only the other circus-horses were there, sleek and satiny, looking in surprise at the two excited children.
“He’s not here,” said Jeanne. “Then where is he?”
“With Lotta, of course,” said Lisa angrily.
“But where’s Lotta?” said Jeanne.
“Goodness knows!” said Lisa. “Not hiding in the camp, anyway. She could hide herself, but she couldn’t hide a big creature like Black Beauty. She’s gone off somewhere on him. Goodness—Britomart will be angry, won’t he? He forbade Lotta to ride the pony by herself out of the camp.”
The girls rushed to tell everyone. Jimmy was worried at once, and so were Lal and Mrs. Brown. Lotta was such a monkey—goodness knows where she would go or when she would come back! And what would happen to her when she did come back? Some horrid punishment again, Jimmy was sure.
“She’ll come back tonight, after the show,” said Mrs. Brown, comforting him. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. She’s just taken Black Beauty away so that Lisa and Jeanne can’t ride him in the ring. I expect she guessed that they might try to.”
“Yes—that’s it,” said Jimmy, feeling better. He had not forgotten how once before Lotta had run away, dressed as a boy—and he didn’t want to think she might have done that again. So he hoped and hoped that Lotta would be in the field waiting for him when the show was over that evening.
But Lotta wasn’t. She didn’t come back at all that night. Everyone was cross and worried about it. What would the mad little girl do next? It was really too bad to behave like that.
“She’s taken her new doll with her,” said Lal, appearing at the door of her caravan. “Now why did she do that? Oh dear, wherever is the child?”
And where was Lotta? Why had she gone, and what was she doing? Ah, she had made her own plans—and very strange plans they were, too!
Lotta’s Big Adventure
LOTTA had been very upset and angry to think that she must stay behind with Lal and Laddo, and work under Britomart for at least half a year more.
“Jimmy will be gone, and little dog Lucky—and kind Mrs. Brown—and Mr. Wally and Sammy—and Mr. Volla and the bears—and dear old Tonky and Jumbo—and Oona. Oh, I can’t bear it!”
The little girl was lying under her caravan with Lulu the old spaniel, who licked her every now and again, sad that Lotta was unhappy. Lotta took a stick and dug it into the ground. She drew some letters—and they were the ones that little dog Lucky used to spell out so cleverly every day—G-A-L-L-I-A-N-O.
“Oh, Mr. Galliano, if only you knew what is happening to your famous circus, you would try to come back quickly!” said Lotta. “You’d stick your top-hat straight up on your head, look fierce, and tell Britomart he’s no good. Oh, if only you would come back!”
Lotta dug her stick hard into the ground, wishing that she was sticking it into Britomart! Then a thought came into her head.
“I wonder what Mr. Galliano would do if he heard that we are most of us going to leave his circus,” she said to herself. “I wonder if anyone has told him. I know Britomart wouldn’t, because he would be sure that Galliano would be angry and disappointed. I guess he’s only told him the good things and not the bad.”
Lotta began to think about going into the ring that night with Lisa and Jeanne. She was quite determined not to—but she knew that Britomart would be very angry indeed if she disobeyed again. “I think I shall take Black Beauty and ride away until the show is over tonight,” thought the little girl. “If I say I won’t go into the ring, Britomart is quite horrid enough to say that those two red-haired creatures can have my pony to ride. And I won’t have that! I’ll ride away, far away—and perhaps I shall come to where Galliano is with Mrs. Galliano.”
Now no sooner had she said that to herself than Lotta sat up straight in excitement, banging her head hard against the underneath of the caravan. But she didn’t even feel the bump.
“Gracious! Why didn’t I think of that before! I’ll go to Galliano and tell him all that’s happened—and maybe he will turn Britomart out of the circus and put Mr. Wally or somebody in his place. Oh, goody, goody! That is an idea!”
Lotta was so excited that Lulu became excited too and barked.
“Sh!” said Lotta. “I don’t want anyone to know where I am. We’ll wait here till there’s not many people about, Lulu, and then I’ll slip out and get Black Beauty—and darling Rosemary, of course. I shan’t leave her behind for Lisa to get.”
Lotta wondered where Mr, Galliano was staying. She knew that Mrs. Galliano was out of hospital now, and that they were both staying somewhere
whilst Mrs. Galliano got better. How could she find out? She did not dare to ask Britomart, and she was sure that no one else knew, for the circus-folk rarely wrote letters. Some of them could not even read or write. “I’ll get into Britomart’s caravan and find the letter from Mr. Galliano,” thought Lotta. “I hope hedoesn’t carry it about in his pocket. Lulu, we can see Britomart’s caravan from here. We’ll watch and see if he goes out.”
Britomart did go out, and it wasn’t long before Lotta was creeping out from under her caravan. No one was about except Mr. Tonks, and he was rubbing Jumbo with oil, and paid no attention to Lotta. The little girl ran quickly over to Britomart’s caravan. She was up the steps in a trice, and shut the door. She looked around. Where would Britomart keep his letters?
It was easy to see. There was a small desk at the back of the caravan—and on it were spread a few letters and bills. In a trice Lotta spied Galliano’s last letter, slipped it down the front of her frock, and ran from the caravan. Nobody saw her. Nobody knew what she had done. Lotta squeezed under her caravan again and looked at the letter. How glad she was that she had taken lessons from kind Mrs. Brown and knew how to read.
She read the address at the top of the letter: “British Hotel, Langley Holme, Devon.” Lotta had no idea where Devon was, but she didn’t care. She could always ask. She stuffed the letter back and slipped out again. This time she found a small bag and put into it some bread, some cheese, biscuits, chocolate—and her doll! That was all.
Then she watched to see when she could get Black Beauty out without being seen. She had a very good chance, quite unexpectedly. Two of the zebras, who were being exercised at the other end of the field, were suddenly frightened by a cow that poked its head over the hedge. One escaped from Zeno, and he yelled for help, for a frightened zebra is dangerous.
Everyone ran to catch the zebra, or to see what was happening. Jimmy went too—and so Lotta could not tell him what she was going to do.
She was sorry about that. She did not want to slip away without seeing Jimmy—and besides, she thought he could tell Lal and Laddo of her plans. She dared not tell her father and mother herself, in case they forbade her to go, and fierce little Lotta was quite determined to do what she had made up her mind to do.