William sighed and called his friends together again.
“She won’t go to the Zoo,” said William. “Somethin’ or other about bars an’ mangles.”
“Well, what about Maskelyne’s and Devant’s?” said Henry. “My uncle took me once. It’s all magic.”
William, much cheered at the prospect, suggested Maskelyne’s that evening. Aunt Jane thought it over for some time, then shook her head.
“No, dear,” she said. “I feel that these illusions aren’t quite honest. They pretend to do something they really couldn’t do, and it practically amounts to falsehood. They deceive the eye, and all deceit is wrong.”
William groaned and returned to his advisory council.
“She’s awful,” he said gloomily. “She’s cracky, I think.”
They discussed the matter again. Douglas had seen a notice of a fair as he came along.
“Try that,” he said. “There’s merry-go-rounds an’ shows an’ cocoanut-shies an’ all sorts. It oughter be all right.”
That evening William suggested a fair. Aunt Jane looked frightened. “What exactly happens in a fair?” she said earnestly.