"You're playing the game like a trump! I didn't dream you could 'pretend' a circus was yours. Must be some harder than pretending babies--" John Bradford got no farther. She turned indignant eyes upon him. "'Game'--'pretend'--I'd have you know I'm having a nelegant time! You must be the Pretender." "Me? I'm having the time of my life! I am going to put a circus into my love story." "This circus?" "This identical one." "With me and the little Flaggs in it?" "You--and the little Flaggs." They had fallen behind the children, and a side eddy of the crowd had flowed between. The Fat Lady was at the further end of the grounds, but there was no hurry; she would remain just as fat a Fat Lady if they pleasantly dallied a little. Stefana had, with the deftness of genius-born skill, solved the puzzle of opening the folded-up go-cart, and the Man Person of the party was no longer burdened with Elly Precious. Suddenly into the pleasant dallying leaped Carruthers with terrified little face. "They're lost! We can't find 'em! I can't an' Stefana can't. They ain't anywhere! We were lookin' at a man with turkles you wind up, an' when we stopped lookin' they weren't there--not anywhere. They ain't anywhere! Not any--' "Stop him!" begged Miss Theodosia. "He'll keep right on anywhere-ing. We must find Stefana." "Stefana said--oh, I couldn't hear what Stefana said, but she pointed an' pointed, an' I came lickety. They're lost! They ain't anywhere!" Stefana appearing here, the story was repeated. Like that--Stefana snapped her fingers--they had disappeared. "I've hunted and hunted. Everybody's seen children with go-carts, but they weren't Evangeline 'n' Elly Precious." Miss Theodosia's own face was pale, but she achieved a light laugh. "No wonder you haven't found them yet! In this crowd. It takes time;--you tell them to be patient and we'll find the right go-cart." She appealed to the Man Person. "Sure, we'll find the right go-cart! Where do you think they could have vanished? Down a hole in the ground?" Miss Theodosia clapped her hands valiantly. "That's it! Evangeline found a hole and took Elly Precious down, to show him the White Rabbit and the Red Queen! Evangeline would love to be an Alice in Wonderland. Go and find the hole," to the Man Person. "I'll stay right in this spot with the children. See, in front of this ice-cream tent." "Good idea!--I'll bring them back with me unless you find them first." But they were not with him when he returned half an hour later. In spite of himself, he looked anxious. "Queer thing! What color dress did she have on? I've tried to remember."