The Maids of Paradise Part 41

The ladies did object, otherwise they would not have been human ladies; but the battle was sharp and decisive, for I was desperate.

"It simply amounts to this," I said: "Jacqueline pulls us through or the governor and I land in jail. As for you, Heaven knows what will happen to you! Penal settlement, probably."

And I called Speed and pointed at Jacqueline, sitting on her satchel, watching the proceedings with amiable curiosity.

"Speed, take that child and rehea.r.s.e her. Begin as soon as the tent is stretched and you can rig the flying trapeze. Use the net, of course. Horan rehea.r.s.ed Miss Claridge; he'll stand by. Miss Crystal, your good-will and advice I depend upon. Will you help me?"

"With all my heart," said Miss Crystal.

That impulsive reply broke the sullen deadlock.

Pretty little Mrs. Grigg went over and shook the child's hand very cordially and talked broken French to her; Miss Delany volunteered to give her some "Christian clothes"; Mrs. Horan burst into tears, complaining that everybody was conspiring to injure her and her husband, but a few moments later she brought Jacqueline some toast, tea, and fried eggs, an attention shyly appreciated by the puzzled child, who never before had made such a stir in the world.

"Don't stuff her," said Speed, as Mrs. Horan enthusiastically trotted past bearing more toast. "Here, Scarlett, the ladies are spoiling her. Can I take her for the first lesson?"

Byram, who had shambled up, nodded. I was glad to see him rea.s.sert his authority. Speed took the child by the hand, and together they entered the big white tent, which now loomed up like a mammoth mushroom against the blue sky.

"Governor," I said, "we're all a bit demoralized; a few of us are mutinous. For Heaven's sake, let the men see you are game. This child has got to win out for us. Don't worry, don't object; back me up and let me put this thing through."

The old man shoved his hands into his trousers-pockets and looked at me with heavy, hopeless eyes.

"Now here's the sketch for the hand-bill," I said, cheerfully, taking a pencilled memorandum from my pocket. And I read:

"THE PATRIOTIC ANTI-PRUSSIAN REPUBLICAN CIRCUS, MORE STUPENDOUS, MORE GIGANTIC, MORE OVERPOWERING THAN EVER!

GLITTERING, MARVELLOUS, SOUL-COMPELLING!"

"What's 'soul-compelling'?" asked Byram.

"Anything you please, governor," I said, and read on rapidly until I came to the paragraph concerning Jacqueline:

"THE WONDER OF EARTH AND HEAVEN!

THE UNUTTERABLY BEAUTIFUL FLYING MERMAID! CAUGHT ON THE COAST OF BRITTANY!

WHAT IS SHE?

FISH? BIRD? HUMAN? DIVINE?

WHO KNOWS?

THE SCIENTISTS OF FRANCE DO NOT KNOW!!

THE SCIENTISTS OF THE WORLD ARE CONFOUNDED!

IS SHE A LOST SOUL FROM THE SUNKEN CITY OF KER-YS?

50,000 FRANCS REWARD FOR THE BRETON WHO CAN PROVE THAT SHE DID NOT COME STRAIGHT FROM PARADISE!!!"

"That's a d.a.m.n good bill," said Byram, suddenly.

He was so seldom profane that I stared at him, worried lest his misfortunes had unbalanced him. But a faint, healthy color was already replacing the pallor in his loose cheeks, a glint of animation came into his sunken eyes. He lifted his battered silk hat, replaced it at an angle almost defiant, and scowled at Horan, who pa.s.sed us sullenly, driving the camel tentwards with awful profanity.

"Don't talk such langwidge in my presence, Mr. Horan," he said, sharply; "a camuel is a camuel, but remember: 'kind hearts is more than cornets,' an' it's easier for that there camuel to pa.s.s through the eye of a needle than for a cussin' cuss to cuss his way into Kingdom Come!"

Horan, who had betrayed unmistakable symptoms of insubordination that morning, quailed under the flowing rebuke. He was a man of muscular strength and meagre intellect; words. .h.i.t him like trip-hammers.

"Certainly, governor," he stammered, and spoke to the camel politely, guiding that enraged and squealing quadruped to his manger with a forced smile.

With mallet, hammer, saw, and screw-driver I worked until noon, maturing my plans all the while. These plans would take the last penny in the treasury and leave us in debt several thousand francs. But it was win or go to smash now, and personally I have always preferred a tremendous smash to a slow and oozy fizzle.

A big pot of fragrant soup was served to the company at luncheon; and it amused me to see Jacqueline troop into the tent with the others and sit down with her bit of bread and her bowl of broth.

She was flushed and excited, and she talked to her instructor, Speed, all the while, chattering like a linnet between mouthfuls of bread and broth.

"How is she getting on?" I called across to Speed.

"The child is simply startling," he said, in English. "She is not afraid of anything. She and Miss Crystal have been doing that hair-raising 'flying swing' _without rehearsal!_"

Jacqueline, hearing us talking in English, turned and stared at me, then smiled and looked up sweetly at Speed.

"You seem to be popular with your pupil," I said, laughing.

"She's a fine girl--a fine, fearless, straight-up-and-down girl," he said, with enthusiasm.

Everybody appeared to like her, though how much that liking might be modified if prosperity returned I was unable to judge.

Now all our fortunes depended on her. She was not a ballon d'essai; she was literally the whole show; and if she duplicated the sensational success of poor little Miss Claridge, we had nothing to fear. But her troubles would then begin. At present, however, we were waiting for her to pull us out of the hole before we fell upon her and rent her professionally. And I use that "we" not only professionally, but with an attempt at chivalry.

Byram's buoyancy had returned in a measure. He sat in his s.h.i.+rt-sleeves at the head of the table, vigorously sopping his tartine in his soup, and, mouth full, leaned forward, chewing and listening to the conversation around him.

Everybody knew it was life or death now, that each one must drop petty jealousies and work for the common salvation. An artificial and almost feverish animation reigned, which I adroitly fed with alarming allusions to the rigor of the French law toward foreigners and other malefactors who ran into debt to French subjects on the sacred soil of France. And, having lived so long in France and in the French possessions, I was regarded as an oracle of authority by these ambulant professional people who were already deadly homesick, and who, in eighteen months of Europe, had ama.s.sed scarcely a dozen French phrases among them all.

"I'll say one thing," observed Byram, with dignity; "if ever I git out of this darn continong with my circus, I'll recooperate in the undulatin' medders an' j'yful vales of the United States. Hereafter that country will continue to remain good enough for me."

All applauded--all except Jacqueline, who looked around in astonishment at the proceedings, and only smiled when Speed explained in French.

"Ask maddermoselle if she'll go home with us?" prompted Byram. "Tell her there's millions in it."

Speed put the question; Jacqueline listened gravely, hesitated, then whispered to Speed, who reddened a trifle and laughed.

Everybody waited for a moment. "What does she say?" inquired Byram.

"Oh, nothing; she talked nonsense."

But Jacqueline's dignity and serene face certainly contradicted Speed's words.

Presently Byram arose, flouris.h.i.+ng his napkin. "Time's up!" he said, with decision, and we all trooped off to our appointed labors.

Now that I had stirred up this beehive and set it swarming again, I had no inclination to turn drone. Yet I remembered my note to the Countess de Va.s.sart and her reply. So about four o'clock I made the best toilet I could in my only other suit of clothes, and walked out of the bustling camp into the square, where the mossy fountain splashed under the oaks and the children of Paradise were playing.

Hands joined, they danced in a ring, singing:

"_Barzig ha barzig a Goneri Ari e mab roue gand daou pe dri_"--

"Little minstrel-bard of Coneri The son of the King has come with two or three-- Nay, with a whole bright flock of paroquets, Crimson, silver, and violet."

And the children, in their white coiffes and tiny wooden shoes, moved round and round the circle, in the middle of which a little lad and a little la.s.s of Paradise stood motionless, hand clasping hand.