Noddy had not much taste for this branch of the profession. He did not like the bowing and the flourishing. If the feat2 itself did not please the people, he could not win them by smirking3. He was much pleased with his costume, and this kept him[82] good-natured, under the severe training of the ring-master, for a time. Mr. Whippleby was coarse and rough in his manners. During the show he had been all grace and elegance5, and did not use any big words, but now he was as rough as a bear, and swore like a pirate. He was just like a cat's paw,—he kept the sharp claws down while the dear people were present; but now he thrust them out.
Noddy found the "business" was no joke. Mr. Whippleby did not so regard it, now that the training had commenced; and the novice6 found that he had placed himself under a very tyrannical master. He made his bows and flourished his arms, with all the grace he could command for a time; but he did not come up to his severe teacher's standard.
"Do that again," said Mr. Whippleby, with savage7 emphasis. "Don't hurry it."
Noddy did it again, as slowly as he could; but he was apparently8 just as far from perfection as before.
"If you don't do better than that, I'll put the whip around your legs!" shouted the impatient ring-master. "One of the mules9 could do it better."
"I did it as well as I could," replied Noddy, rather tartly10.[83]
"You will do it better than that, or your legs will smart. Now do it again."
Noddy obeyed. He did not think the ring-master really intended to strike him with the long whip he held in his hand, but supposed he was so much in the habit of threatening the clown with the lash11, that he did it now from the force of habit. His last attempt did not satisfy Mr. Whippleby, who stormed at him more furiously than before.
"Do you think I have nothing better to do than waste my time over a blockhead like you? I haven't had my bitters yet. Now do it again; and if you fail this time you will catch it."
Noddy turned his somerset; but he had hardly recovered himself before he received a smart cut from the whip in the tenderest part of his leg. There was a young lion in the novice, and a blow from any man was more than he could endure. He expressed his mind in regard to the outrage12 with such freedom, that Mr. Whippleby lost his temper, if he ever had any to lose, and he began to lash the unfortunate youth in the most brutal13 manner.
Noddy, finding there was no satisfaction to be obtained by facing the ring-master, fled from the spot, leaping up on the seats where the spectators[84] sat. He was maddened to fury by the harsh treatment he had received; and thirsting for vengeance14, he seized whatever missiles he could find, and hurled15 them at his persecutor16. His legs seemed to be on fire from the effects of the blows he had received. He rubbed them for a moment, while he hurled the most bitter denunciations at the ring-master.
"Now, come down, and try again," called Mr. Whippleby, who did not seem to be much disconcerted by what had taken place, when he had in some measure recovered his equanimity17.
"No, I won't!" replied Noddy.
"Have you got enough, Mr. Arthur De Forrest?"
"I will give you enough before you get through."
While this colloquy18 was going on, the manager appeared in the ring. Whippleby laughingly told him what had happened, and he seemed to be much amused by it; but the ring-master had certainly changed his tone at the appearance of the "head man."
"Come, my boy, come down, and let me see how well you do your business," said the manager.
"I've had enough of it," replied Noddy, as he[85] returned to the ring. "I'm not a horse, and I'm not going to be treated like one."
"That's your initiation19, my boy," said Whippleby. "We always try new beginners in that way, to find out what they are made of."
"You will find out what I'm made of, if you hit me again with that whip."
"I know now. You won't need any more, if you try to do what you are told."
"I'm not going to be whipped, whether I try or not," added Noddy, doggedly20.
"You shall not be whipped, my boy," said the manager. "Now show me your ground act."
The novice was about to comply,—for he had already come to the conclusion that the "head man" would protect him,—when he saw two men enter the tent. They did not belong to the company, and Noddy was quite sure he had often seen them in Whitestone.
"We don't allow visitors in here now," said the manager.
"We come on business. There is a boy here that we want to find," replied one of the men.
"You must leave the tent," said the manager, rather sharply.[86]
"I am a constable21, and there is a boy about here that I want."
"What's his name?"
"They call him Noddy Newman."
"What do you want of him?"
"That's my business," answered the constable, rudely. "The boy came into the ring this afternoon during the show, and I suppose he belongs to the company."
"That's the fellow!" exclaimed the other constable, pointing to Noddy, who was trying to take himself off without being noticed.
"That's Arthur De Forrest," interposed the manager.
"No, it isn't; I've known him this five years," said the man who had recognized the culprit.
Both of them walked towards Noddy, with the intention, apparently, of laying violent hands on him; but the young gentleman in "trunk and tights" was not prepared to yield up his personal liberty, and he retreated.
The officers were in a position where they could stop him from leaving the tent by either of the two entrances; and Noddy, finding his exit prevented, seized a rope which was hanging down by the centre-[87]pole, and climbed up out of the reach of his pursuers.
"What do you want of me?" demanded the young athlete, as he perched himself in a comfortable position on the "slack-rope," which was suspended to the pole.
"We shall not do you any harm, my boy," said one of the officers.
"What do you want of me?"
"There is good news for you; and you are wanted over at Squire22 Wriggs's office."
"I know ye! You want to take me to the court-house. You can't humbug23 me," said Noddy, fully24 confirmed in his suspicions by the conduct of the men.
"We won't hurt you."
"You want to take me up."
"No, we don't; we only want to take you up to Squire Wriggs's office. It's all for your good."
"No, you don't," replied Noddy. "You can't cheat me."
"We don't want to cheat you. We are only sent to find you. We will not arrest you."
"I know better. You can't fool me. I heard Squire Wriggs say he wanted to take me up to the[88] court-house; and you don't catch me near no court-house. I know what you mean."
"You are mistaken, my boy. Come down, and I will tell you all about it."
"When I do, you let me know," replied Noddy, who felt so secure from arrest in his present quarters that he expressed his mind with perfect freedom.
"We promise not to arrest you," persisted the constable who did the talking. "We have been looking for you all day."
"You may look another day, if you like," added the defiant25 refugee. "You want me for setting fire to the boat-house; but I am not to blame, if I did do it."
"We don't know anything about the boat-house; Squire Wriggs has a lot of money for you."
"You can't catch an old bird in any such trap as that," answered Noddy, shaking his head significantly.
The officers used all their powers of persuasion26 to induce him to come down; but Noddy, satisfied that they had been sent by Squire Wriggs, was fully persuaded that they were trying to deceive him. The story about a "lot of money" for a poor boy like him, who had not a friend in the world, was too[89] absurd, in his estimation, to be entertained for a moment. He had heard the squire speak to Mr. Grant about thirty thousand dollars; but such a sum was beyond his comprehension. He did not believe any man, not even the owner of Woodville, had so much money; and of course it was nothing to him.
The constables27 got out of patience at last; and though they showed no signs of anger or malice28, they exhibited an intention to catch him, which was much worse. One of them commenced the ascent29 of the pole in the centre of the tent. The circus people, who seemed to be in full sympathy with Noddy, remained neutral, for the intruders were officers of the law, and it was not prudent30 to oppose them.
Noddy perceived the object of his pursuers, and grasping one of the tent-ropes, he scrambled31 up to the very apex32 of the canvas structure, and crawled through the aperture33 around the pole. From this point he slid down to the short poles, and then dropped upon the ground, before the man in the ring could pass round to the outside of the tent. Dodging34 under the curtains, he reached the place which served as a dressing-room. Removing his "trunks," he hurried on his clothes, and rushed out into the open air again.[90]
His persecutors were not in sight, and he did not lose a moment in putting a safe distance between himself and them. Precisely35 as a well-educated duck or other water-fowl would have done, he hastened to the river, as his most natural element. He had made a complete circuit of the town in his flight. He did not dare to show himself to a living being; for it seemed to him just as though the whole country was after him. When he reached the river, he sat down on the bank, exhausted36 by his efforts and by the excitement of the afternoon.
"I reckon I've got about circus enough," said he to himself,—for there was no one else to whom he could say it. "That Whippleby is worse than a heathen. I don't like any of them."
He rubbed his legs, which were not yet done smarting; and the pain seemed to be an emphatic37 protest against circuses in general, and the "Great Olympian Circus" in particular. But whether he liked the circus or not, it was no longer safe for him to remain with the company. He had taken "French leave" of the manager, and had cheated him out of the tights which enveloped38 his body from neck to heels. This thought reminded him that they did not feel at[91] all comfortable, and he wished the manager had his own again.
Having abandoned the circus profession in disgust, he wondered what he should do next. It was useless for him to stay in the vicinity of Woodville; and the only safe plan for him to adopt was, to go away to some other part of the country, or go to sea at once. He could not tolerate the idea of leaving without letting Bertha know where he was. The officers were on his track, and he could not hope always to escape them. The court-house was terrible, and prompt action was necessary.
He must have a sight of Bertha, even if he did not speak to her; and at the risk of being captured, he determined39 to stay in the neighborhood of Woodville till the next morning. Near the place where he sat there was a skiff moored40 to the bank. He hauled it in, and took up the oars4. He did not mean to steal it, only to borrow it till the next morning. With this comfortable reflection he cast off the painter, and pulled over to the other side of the river.
It was now quite late in the evening. He had not eaten any supper, and, like other boys, he was always hungry at meal times. He wanted something to eat; and it occurred to him that there were generally[92] some crackers41 and cheese in the locker42 of the Greyhound, and he rowed down to her moorings. He found what he wanted there, and made a hearty43 supper. He was satisfied then, and soon went to sleep in the stern-sheets of the sail-boat.
Fortunately for him he waked up about daylight, and was not seen by any of the early risers at Woodville. Appropriating the rest of the crackers and cheese for his breakfast, he got into the skiff and rowed up to the Glen, where he hoped, in the course of the forenoon, to see Bertha.
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1
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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smirking
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| v.傻笑( smirk的现在分词 ) | |
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4
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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novice
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| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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8
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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9
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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tartly
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| adv.辛辣地，刻薄地 | |
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11
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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12
outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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14
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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15
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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16
persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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equanimity
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| n.沉着，镇定 | |
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18
colloquy
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| n.谈话，自由讨论 | |
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19
initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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doggedly
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| adv.顽强地，固执地 | |
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constable
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| n.(英国)警察，警官 | |
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22
squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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23
humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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24
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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25
defiant
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| adj.无礼的，挑战的 | |
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26
persuasion
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| n.劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派 | |
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constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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28
malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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29
ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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30
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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apex
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| n.顶点，最高点 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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34
dodging
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| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
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35
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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37
emphatic
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| adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的 | |
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38
enveloped
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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40
moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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41
crackers
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| adj.精神错乱的，癫狂的n.爆竹( cracker的名词复数 )；薄脆饼干；（认为）十分愉快的事；迷人的姑娘 | |
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42
locker
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| n.更衣箱，储物柜，冷藏室，上锁的人 | |
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43
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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