Lord's eye, and then he knew that all this success and all this
praise were only binding him faster to the show which he was so
anxious to escape from; his pleasure vanished very quickly, and in
its stead came a bitter, homesick feeling which no amount of praise
could banish.
It was Old Ben who helped him to undress after the skeleton and
the fat lady had gone to their tent and Ella had gone to dress for
her appearance with her mother, for now she was obliged to ride
twice at each performance. When Toby was in ordinary clothes again
Ben said:
"Now that you're one of the performers, Toby, you won't have to sell
candy any more, an' you'll have the most of your time to yourself,
so let's you an' I go out an' see the town."
"Don't you s'pose Mr. Lord expects me to go to work for him again
today?"
"An' s'posin' he does?" said Ben, with a chuckle. "You don't s'pose
the boss would let any one that rides in the ring stand behind Job
Lord's counter, do you? You can do just as you have a mind to, my
boy, an' I say to you, let's go out an' see the town. What do you
say to it?"
"I'd like to go first rate, if I dared to," replied Toby, thinking
of the many whippings he had received for far less than that which
Ben now proposed he should do.
"Oh, I'll take care that Job don't bother you, so come along"; and
Ben started out of the tent, and Toby followed, feeling considerably
frightened at this first act of disobedience against his old master.
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