"Miss Perry said she was always pleased to see me," Tom said, eagerly. "She is glad Peter has me for his friend—he never had a real friend before he knew me."
"How was that?"
"Well, you see, he doesn't go to school when he's at home—he has a tutor who's especially clever at teaching blind people; so he doesn't mix with other boys. Oh, Father, what a noise!"
A big traction engine, drawing several vans, was puffing along the street in the direction of the market square, a large piece of ground in the centre of the town, where, during three days in the middle of September, a fair was always held.
"It's a menagerie," said Mr. Burford, catching sight of the picture of a lion on one of the vans from which the covering had slipped. "I saw it was advertised to be here next week for the Fair. Look, there come an elephant and a couple of camels! Well, here we are at the bank. Good-bye, my boy, for the present."
After parting from his father, Tom followed in the rear of the elephant and the camels to the market square, where the animals were taken into a tent which had been prepared for them, and watched with the greatest interest whilst the vans belonging to the menagerie were arranged in a circle, a space being left for the entrance of the public to the exhibition. There being nothing more to be seen at present, he was thinking of going on to Halcyon Villa when his attention was attracted by an angry voice proceeding from a shabby caravan which had been pushed as far back as possible into a corner of the square, and curiosity prompted him to stop and listen to it.
"You little white-faced coward, you!" cried the voice, and there followed a string of oaths and what sounded like a blow. After that there was silence; then the door of the caravan opened, and a stout purple-faced woman came out, leading by the hand a little girl with a frightened, tear-stained countenance. The pair walked a few steps side by side, then suddenly the child pulled her hand from the woman's and started forward at a run.
"Stop her! Stop her!" cried the woman, appealing to Tom. "Set your dog at her—that'll fetch her back!"
"Stop her yourself!" retorted Tom shortly, and, bidding Tim keep to heel, he turned away. Already the little girl was out of the square and had disappeared from sight.