“Something for you?” she queried pessimistically. “Want costume of Julius Hur, the charioteer.” Mrs. Nolak was sorry, but every stitch of charioteer had been rented long ago. Was it for the Townsends’ circus ball? It was. “Sorry,” she said, “but I don’t think there’s anything left that’s really circus.” This was an obstacle. “Hm,” said Perry. An idea struck him suddenly. “If you’ve got a piece of canvas I could go’s a tent.” “Sorry, but we haven’t anything like that. A hardware store is where you’d have to go to. We have some very nice Confederate soldiers.” “No. No soldiers.” “And I have a very handsome king.” He shook his head. “Several of the gentlemen,” she continued hopefully, “are wearing stovepipe hats and swallow-tail coats and going as ringmasters--but we’re all out of tall hats. I can let you have some crape hair for a mustache.” “Want somep’n ’stinctive.” “Something--let’s see. Well, we have a lion’s head, and a goose, and a camel--” “Camel?” The idea seized Perry’s imagination, gripped it fiercely. “Yes, but it needs two people.” “Camel. That’s the idea. Lemme see it.” The camel was produced from his resting place on a top shelf. At first glance he appeared to consist entirely of a very gaunt, cadaverous head and a sizable hump, but on being spread out he was found to possess a dark brown, unwholesome-looking body made of thick, cottony cloth. “You see it takes two people,” explained Mrs. Nolak, holding the camel in frank admiration. “If you have a friend he could be part of it. You see there’s sorta pants for two people. One pair is for the fella in front, and the other pair for the fella in back. The fella in front does the lookin’ out through these here eyes, an’ the fella in back he’s just gotta stoop over an’ folla the front fella round.” “Put it on,” commanded Perry. Obediently Mrs. Nolak put her tabby-cat face inside the camel’s head and turned it from side to side ferociously. Perry was fascinated. “What noise does a camel make?” “What?” asked Mrs. Nolak as her face emerged, somewhat smudgy. “Oh, what noise? Why, he sorta brays.” “Lemme see it in a mirror.” Before a wide mirror Perry tried on the head and turned from side to side appraisingly. In the dim light the effect was distinctly pleasing. The camel’s face was a study in pessimism, decorated with numerous abrasions, and it must be admitted that his coat was in that state of general negligence peculiar to camels--in fact, he needed to be cleaned and pressed--but distinctive he certainly was. He was majestic. He would have attracted attention in any gathering, if only by his melancholy cast of feature and the look of hunger lurking round his shadowy eyes. “You see you have to have two people,” said Mrs. Nolak again.