And by the time Mrs. Martin reached the place where Trouble was standing, Jack had jumped into the curtain. Right into the middle of it he landed, and you can guess what happened.
Yes, Jack tore through, making a big hole in the lace. For it was not strong enough for even a play circus net, and, really, Ted and Janet should have known this.
Down through the hole in the curtain fell Jack, but he did not go quite all the way through. That is parts of the torn lace clung to him.
In another instant, after landing lightly on the ground, Jack sprang up, grabbed the banana away from Trouble, and then made a flying leap for the nearest tree, trailing the lace curtain after him, dragging it on the ground, catching it on the branches of the tree and tearing it worse than ever.
So suddenly did Jack snatch the piece of banana away from Baby William that the little fellow was knocked down, just as Jack, leaping away from the Italian hand-organ man, had knocked Teddy to the sidewalk.
"Oh! Oh!" wailed Trouble, and then he began to cry.
"Oh, Curlytops! Curlytops! What have you done?" exclaimed Mrs. Martin in dismay.
Teddy and Janet could not say a word. They seemed frightened and dazed when Jack, in his wild leap, pulled the curtain from their grasp.
"We—we——" began Janet.
"Didn't mean to," finished Teddy.