Hetty Feather Read online

  18

  'We can't go to the circus, Hetty!' said Gideon.

  'It's not within close proximity! It couldn't possibly be further away.'

  'Oh, for Heaven's sake, who cares!' I said gaily.

  'But it's nearly one o'clock. We have to be back at marquee number ten. Didn't you listen to what the matron said?'

  'As if I care what Matron Stinking Bottomly says!' I said. 'Come on, Gideon! Here's your chance to see the circus for yourself at long last. Don't you want to see Elijah close up – and wondrous Madame Adeline and her horses? And remember the boy acrobats in their sparkly silver clothes, don't you want to see them?'

  Gideon did waver then, looking longingly in the direction of the circus, though we couldn't even see the tip of the tent or the top of Elijah's trunk now that we were down on the ground.

  'And it won't cost a penny this time. Everything is free today because of the Jubilee. Come on, Gideon.'

  'We will miss our meal in the tent,' said Gideon.

  'Never mind. Maybe we'll be back in time to snatch at something.'

  'But we'll get into such trouble.'

  'There are so many of us I don't think anyone will notice there are two foundlings too few. And even if they do find out, what will we care? We will have seen the circus!'

  'You would care if you were a boy, Hetty. If we are very bad, we get whipped.'

  'Listen, I have been so fearfully bad I got locked up without food or water in a bleak attic for days and days,' I said, exaggerating slightly. 'I'm going to go to the circus now even if they lock me in the attic for the rest of my life. And so are you, Gideon.'

  I tugged at his arm but he pulled away.

  'I can't, Hetty. I simply daren't. You go, if you must, but I do so hope you won't get into trouble.'

  I stared at his pale, obstinate face and knew there was no way I could persuade him.

  'All right, I shall go by myself,' I said. I gave him a kiss on his white cheek. 'You will kick yourself for not coming with me!'

  I ran off in what I hoped was the right direction. I looked over my shoulder to see if Gideon might just be wavering, but he'd already been swallowed up by the crowd.

  'Oh, Gid,' I said, and even though I was sure he couldn't see me, I waved to him.

  Then I ran off to find the circus by myself, though it was hard to work out which way to go. The crowd was so thick. I had to dodge and weave and dart between folk wherever I could. Troops of children were gathering and marching towards the marquees for their festive meal. My stomach was rumbling. I couldn't help wondering just how festive the meal would be. Perhaps cake? Jellies? But I couldn't lose my huge chance out of sheer greed!

  People were peering at me strangely, laughing at my bizarre uniform. I quickly took my cap off and stuffed it down my tippet, but I had no way of hiding the rest of my clothes.

  A formidable woman with an official badge pinned to her bosom seized hold of me. 'Aren't you one of the foundlings from the hospital? No, no, my child, you're going entirely the wrong way.' She consulted a list. 'You're due in marquee number ten – that way!'

  'Yes, ma'am,' I said, spinning round and walking the way she pointed – but within seconds she was out of sight, so I could turn and fight my way back in the direction of the circus.

  It took me a good half-hour before I was even near. I was so hot my frock was sticking to my back and some small child had smeared his hokey-pokey ice all over my skirts. My cap had edged its way out of my tippet and was now lost, ground underheel by hundreds of feet. But when I spied the red and purple tip of the striped circus tent, I forgot all about my bedraggled appearance. I pushed forward determinedly, so eager now I was nearly running.

  I saw Elijah, standing tethered to a pole, wearing a head-dress of gold in honour of the Queen. He was smaller than I remembered, but of course I'd been much smaller when I last saw him.

  The crowd was even thicker now that I was near the circus, and many small boys pushed and shoved. When I pushed and shoved back, one little monster kicked me hard on the shins. I kicked back harder though, for once in my life thankful for my stout institution boots, though my feet were hot as Hell inside them.

  I got nearer and saw a tower of acrobats standing on each other's heads, but they weren't dressed in silver, they were all in red. Of course those tumbling boys in silver spangles would have new costumes now, and perhaps their younger brothers had joined their act. I pushed my way through the entrance, into the tent. It was boiling like a cauldron, packed with children keen to see the free show. I barged my way along the front row to claim the only empty seat.

  There were clowns running backwards and forwards throwing buckets of water around. It all seemed a familiar routine and I laughed hysterically even though I did not really find them funny.

  Then I heard a neigh and a thud of hooves, and I tingled all over and cried out in joy. But where was Pirate, the pale grey with the black patch? These horses were all a glossy chestnut brown, with purple plumes in their manes. And who was this? Two women, with big chests and fat thighs, in tight violet spangled dresses, with huge floppy purple bows stuck in their hair, one blonde, one dark.

  Where was Madame Adeline? These two dumpy imposters rode round and round the ring. Their act was a travesty compared to Madame Adeline's. Surely they could not have taken her place? I knew every turn she'd taken, every trick, every toss of her beautiful red hair. I had pictured it so many hundreds of times inside my head. These two purple fools galloped round monotonously, waving their hands for applause. I could not bear to clap them. I clasped my hands in agony. When they cantered out of the ring at last, I pushed my way back along the row and elbowed my way to the entrance, taking no notice of the mutters in my wake.

  I clutched hold of a circus hand giving out flyers for the circus.

  'Where is Madame Adeline?' I demanded. 'When will she be performing?'

  'Madame who?' said the man. 'Never heard of her.'

  'Madame Adeline and her troupe of horses,' I said. 'She's the star of this circus!'

  'No she ain't! The only horse act we've got is Miss Molly and Miss Polly, the Equestrian Twins. You've just missed them,' he said impatiently. 'Now leave me alone, girlie, I've got a job to do.'

  He gave me one of his flyers and turned away from me. I stared down at the strip of paper in my hand.

  Mr Geoffrey's Wondrous Whirligig Circus it said in big bold italics at the top of the page.

  I blinked at it, even rubbing the words with my finger as if I could reassemble them into any order that made sense. Who was this Mr Geoffrey? This was Tanglefield's Travelling Circus! I was sure that was the right name. But I wavered as I slid my eyes down the list of performers. Miss Lizzie's troupe of baboons? Mr Lionel Luck, contortionist? The Zebidee Family of Tumblers? I had not heard of any of them. And then, in bold lettering: Archibald, the Infant Elephant! What were they talking about? I knew the elephant was called Elijah. I could not have remembered it all so inaccurately.

  'Why has the circus changed so?' I asked the circus hand desperately, shaking his striped sleeve. 'Why isn't it called Tanglefield's Travelling Circus any more? Why are there all these new people? Why has Elijah's name been changed? And where is Madame Adeline? You must have heard of her!'

  'Will you stop pestering me? I've got a job to do. Can't you read, child?' He tapped his wad of flyers impatiently. 'It's there, plain as the nose on your face. Does it say Tanglefield's Travelling Circus? No, it does not. This is Mr Geoffrey's gaff – and he'll have my guts for garters if he catches me chatting. He's a sharp man, Mr Geoffrey, never one to miss an opportunity. This is better than a ten-foot advertisement on a hoarding. Now, on your way. Ain't all you kids meant to be having a free nosh? Little girlie . . .? Oh my Lord, don't start crying on me. I can't abide it when kiddies cry.'

  I was weeping in sheer frustration, still too stunned to understand.

  The circus hand sighed. 'I reckon Tanglefield's will be up on the heath. I hear they've got all the rag-tag