Chapter VI

The day of Ooney’s departure Tom came in to tea at the Lodge as usual, and found the Missus of the Garland Inn sitting with Sally Drake by the fire, wringing her hands and telling her tale.

“And what I’m to do for a living, Mrs. Drake, I’m sure I don’t know,” said she. “The Duke’ll never put me up another Inn to take its place. Ah dear, dear, dear! to think of him with his Castle ten times as big as any one man needs, even if he does have to house nine-and-ninety servants to see to his wants. There now, if he could only spare me a little bit of what he’s got, I could set myself up again.”

“Wait a bit,” said Tom Cobble, “and don’t worry, Missus.” And he got out his book and buried his nose in it.

Sally Drake said sharply, “Put that there reading away, uncle, and sup your tea.”

“There’s no hurry,” said Tom Cobble, and poked the fire three times and said something to the poker. Then he had his tea, and when the Missus got back to the village she saw a quarter of the Duke’s Castle planted where the Garland Inn had stood, and two or three villagers standing about it waiting for a drink.

Now the Duke had overlooked a good many things, such as the grapes and the primroses and the squirrels, and a fountain of wine that appeared one day in the middle of his ornamental lake; and when the stone Cupid there took to singing “Ringa-ring-a-roses” 36at seven o’clock every evening and sat down with a splash at the finish, and when the white swans began to wear gold crowns on their heads, and every water-lily as it opened had a Queen-cake inside it, he was really rather proud of it, though he couldn’t understand it in the least; and he took all his best visitors to see the swans, and listen to the Cupid, and eat Queen-cakes to their hearts’ content. But when a quarter of his Castle, including the armoury, disappeared bodily one day, leaving his own suite of apartments open to the east wind, he felt that things had gone too far, and he must take steps.

So he told his Steward to make inquiries, and a week later the Steward reported that he’d heard there was a rumour of a portion of a Castle, but of course he couldn’t say whose, that had strayed by accident into Shortways; so the Duke got on his horse and rode to see for himself, and sure enough there was the missing bit. It now had a nice sign hanging out, with a picture, and the words “The Quarter-Castle” painted on it; and the Missus was serving drinks in the Armoury, using the helmets as pint-pots.

He called her out, and pointed at the building, and said, “Where did you pick that up, Missus?”

She curtseyed and replied, “Please, your Grace, it’s Tom Cobble’s doing.”

“Send for Tom Cobble,” said the Duke; and when Tom came he asked, “Is this your doing, Cobble?”

“Yes, sir,” said Tom Cobble.

“Is this your only doing, Cobble?” said the Duke.

“No, sir,” said Tom.

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The Duke discovered he was riding a large white kitten.

38“Did you do the swans, and the lilies, and the fountain, and the squirrels, and all the rest of it, Cobble?” said the Duke.

“I did, sir,” said Tom.

The Duke frowned a mighty frown, and said in a voice of thunder, “What do you think should be the fate of the man who spoils the Duke’s Park and steals the Duke’s Castle?”

“I think, sir,” said Tom, “that he should marry the Duke’s daughter.”

“I haven’t got a daughter,” said the Duke. “Take a month’s wages, and go. You’re spoiled as a mortal, Tom Cobble, and no use to Shortways.”

He paid Tom his wages and rode away, and was so upset that he was quite half-way home before he discovered that he was riding on a large white kitten with blue eyes.

Tom pocketed his money, said good-bye to the villagers and Sally Drake, and left Shortways for ever. He hadn’t gone far before he heard a sound of sobbing on the high-road; and there was Ooney in her silver dress and check apron, crying her eyes out under a hedge. So he sat down in the grass beside her, and said, “What’s up?”

“Oh, Tom!” wept Ooney, “they’ve turned me out. I set up the Garland Inn so nice and proper, and did everything there as I’d learned how of the Missus, and tried to get them to come in regular for drinks like real human beings, and they didn’t like it at all. I was spoiled for a fairy, they said, and no use to Fairyland any more, so they gave me a wish and told me to go.”

“Where’s the wish?” asked Tom.

“On the tip of my tongue,” said Ooney.

39“It’s better than nothing,” said Tom, “so let’s come along together, and see if we can’t find a place in the world after all.”

He had hardly said this when there was a sound of drums and trumpets on the road, and round the corner, gorgeous in the sunlight, came the long procession of Carlo’s Circus—black-and-white ponies, red-and-white clowns, ladies in spangles, boys in pink tights, Indians on elephants with feathers in their turbans, a Strong Man with a starry world upon his shoulders, and Prince Carlo himself in a golden chariot drawn by six white donkeys with red reins and tassels.

“Is it magic?” asked Ooney.

“No,” said Tom, “it’s the real thing.”

“Really real?” cried Ooney joyfully. “Oh, I wish Prince Carlo would give us a job!”

No sooner had she wished than Prince Carlo said: “Whoa!” to his donkeys, stepped down from his chariot, and said:

“Do you happen to be looking for a job?”

“Yes, we do,” said Tom and Ooney in one breath.

“Well,” said the Prince, “my Strong Man’s just leaving me to get married to my Lady Equestrienne, and if you” (he turned to Tom) “think you could juggle with the world, and you” (he turned to Ooney) “can ride a cream pony on one toe and jump through a paper hoop, I’ll take you on.”

It was settled then and there, and Tom Cobble and Ooney joined the Circus. And before long, wherever it went, they became the chief attractions.

For Ooney in her silver dress and wreath of stars rode the pony like a moonbeam floating in mid-air, sometimes forgetting 40to stand on him even on tip-toe, and flying a few inches above his back all round the ring, so that the little boys and girls on the twopenny benches screamed for joy.

And Tom Cobble in pink tights and a gold belt played with the starry world as no Strong Man had ever done before, and while he tossed and caught it, and walked on it and balanced it, all sorts of lovely things happened to it; skylarks and swallows darted from it as it rolled in the sawdust, and filled the tent with twittering, or violets and peardrops fell from it as it tossed on the air, and sprinkled the twopenny benches, and the stars would dance on its surface and turn all sorts of colours, so that the little boys and girls screamed louder than ever.

41In time Tom Cobble married Ooney, and when Prince Carlo retired they took the Circus over entirely, for the life exactly suited them.

“Thank goodness,” said Tom, “nobody minds what magic you play in the Ring!”

And “Thank goodness,” said Ooney, “I’m doing something real at last!”

If ever their Circus comes your way, don’t miss it.

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