And as they were bringing up the new cage which was to take the lion back to the circus, in came Blackie from the meadow where she had been catching grasshoppers.
"Oh, so you did come to see me, after all!" she mewed to Nero.
"Yes," answered the lion, in animal talk, which none of the people could understand, "I came to see you."
"I'm sorry I was away," said Blackie.
"So am I. But I really had a pretty good time," said Nero. "And I scared a man who wore very ragged clothes, something like the funny clowns in our circus. And now I am going back there. I'm glad to have met you, Blackie."
"And I'm glad I met you, Nero. Maybe someday I'll come to your circus."
"Yes, do," growled Nero.
"Good-bye!" called the little girl to the circus lion, as he was hauled away in his cage. "Good-bye! I'm glad you did the sitting-up trick for me!"
Late that afternoon Nero was back in the circus tent again.
"Well, where in the world have you been?" asked Tum Tum.