"LET'S PERTEND," SAID DIANA.
The circus was crowded that evening, but neither Diana nor Orion put
in an appearance. They were to make their grand _début_ together on
the following day, for hitherto only Diana had ridden in public. They
were left now in the little room, all alone, but as they were together
that did not matter at all to them. Orion's weary head rested against
his sister's shoulder. Her stout little arm was flung round his waist;
he was fast asleep, but there were traces of tears on his pale cheeks.
It seemed a very long time now to little Orion since all the world had
altered for him. From being a beautiful place, full of lovely gardens,
and lovely homes, and kind people--from being full of snug little beds
to sleep in, and nice food to eat, and loving services of all
sorts--it had suddenly turned and shown its black face to the tenderly
nurtured little boy. Rough words were now his portion; he had a hard
bed to lie on, very insufficient and very poor food to eat, and in
addition to these things, blows and kicks were measured out to him
with a very liberal hand. Besides these fearful things, he was
expected to do what terrified him into the very core of his somewhat
timorous heart. Until he had been kidnaped by Mother Rodesia he had
never known that he was really timid, but now this side of his nature
had come to the fore. Day by day he grew more and more frightened,
and for the last fortnight he really lost his appetite, and his health
began to fail. He refused to eat the coarse and insufficient food, and
when he slept his sleep was broken by bad dreams. Little Diana knew
that there was something very wrong the matter, but she could not
quite tell what. She had a very energetic little brain, however, and
it was working now hard in Orion's behalf.
The noise and shouts made by the circus people were distinctly audible
to the two little children. Orion raised his head, looked around him
with a terrified glance, and began to cry feebly.
"Is Uncle Ben coming? Have I got to ride Greased Lightning? Di, are
you there? are you close to me?"
"Course I is," answered Diana. "Orion, don't you be such a silly; I is
with you. There's nothing going to happen."
"Nothing? Are you certain sure?" asked the child.
"K'ite. I is with you, Orion; don't you be fwightened; there's nothing
going to happen."
Orion leaned comfortably back against the fat little shoulder.
"P'w'aps you is a bit hung'y," said Diana. "There's bwead and milk on
the table; Aunt Sawah left it. Shall we eat our supper afore we
talks?"
"I can't eat," replied Orion. "I'm not a scrap hungry; I am never
hungry now. I wonder you can eat, Diana."
"Course I can eat," replied Diana; "I aren't a silly. I has got to
wide G'eased Lightning. I love G'eased Lightning. Don't know why you
is fwightened of him."
"But I am to ride Pole Star, and he's worse than Greased Lightning,"
replied Orion.
"Well, you listen to me," said Diana, speaking in a very firm and
authoritative voice. "See, I am eating up my supper, and you had best
have some with me. I'll sit by you on the floor, if you like, and feed
you same as if you was a baby."
"But you are younger nor me," said Orion, with a little laugh; "seems,
though, as if you were much older."
"Can't help that," answered Diana; "can't help feelin' old, whether we
is nor not. You is almost a baby--I is k'ite a big girl. Now, open
your mouth; I am going to pop in some food. Here's a vedy nice piece
of bwead."
Orion did what Diana wished, but he could scarcely eat. Tears came
suddenly into his eyes.
"I wish I was dead, like poor Rub-a-Dub," he said, after a pause; "I
wish I was lying in the beautiful garden, in the cemetery part with
Rub-a-Dub."
"Oh, don't be such a silly!" said Diana. "You has a lot to do afore
you is deaded. Don't forget that you is a star and a giant."
"No, that I aren't," said the child. "Oh, Di! if mother was here she
would be disappointed, for I am not a star, nor yet a giant. I'm just
the frightenest little boy in the world."
"I has thought of a plan," said Diana very calmly. "You shan't wide
Pole Star to-morrow; you shall wide G'eased Lightning."
"But I am nearly as frightened of one horse as the other."
"I know G'eased Lightning k'ite well by this time," continued Diana,
"and if I are there he'll be gentle. You shall wide him, and I'll wide
Pole Star."
"But I heard Uncle Ben say that I was to have the other horse."
"Never you mind that. What does that si'nify? I'll manage. I'm not
fwightened of any horse that ever walked. If I are there, and if I
look at G'eased Lightning, he'll be as good as good can be, and you
must just keep looking at me, Orion, and do the things that I do. When
you see me standing on Pole Star you must stand on your two foots on
G'eased Lightning, and when we fly faster and faster you must still
keep looking at me, and when I jump through the wings you must do the
same, and then, Orion, then, why, it will be over. Now, bend down; I'm
going to whisper something to you."
Orion bent his ear with deep interest.
"You don't mean it?" he said, when Diana had said some very energetic
words in a low voice.
"Yes, I does. Does I say things I doesn't mean? I means it twuly,
twuly. You wide G'eased Lightning, and then--then it'll all be over."
"Oh, I really think I can, if you are _quite_ sure," said Orion. His
little face brightened up, two fever spots came into his cheeks; his
eyes shone.
"Are you quite sure, Di?" he said.
"Pos'tive certain. Now, lie down if you like, and go to s'eep."
"I could eat a bit more supper," said Orion. "I'm kind of hungry now
that you has told me you is positive, Di."
"All wight," answered Diana. "There's a teeny dwop of milk left.
Course I was hungry and thirsty, and my trof was dry, but you shall
drink up the last dwop of milk. Here now, isn't you better?"
"I am really, truly," said Orion; "but are you quite certain it's
true, Di?"
"K'ite. Do you think I would tell a lie? I is the _gweat_ Diana. You
is sort of forgetting, Orion."
"No, I aren't," said Orion. "Oh, I am happy now!"
"Well, lie down. I'll make up your bed, and you shall go to s'eep. We
has a lot to do to-morrow, hasn't we?"
"Yes, a lot," answered Orion, with a little laugh. "Oh, Di! will they
let us?"
"Course they'll let us," said Diana. "I has it all settled beautiful.
Now, go to s'eep, p'ease, Orion."
Orion did very soon enter the land of dreams, but little Diana lay
broad awake. She was thinking hard, and her thoughts were wonderfully
sensible for such a baby.
The performance at the circus had turned out a great success. Diana
had already appeared once or twice on Greased Lightning's back, but
Ben Holt now kept her out of sight on purpose. He had caused rumors to
be spread about her wonderful riding; his aim was to make people very
anxious to see her again. He wanted the public to have a sort of
craving for her. He hoped that when she finally appeared, dressed as
the great Diana, with the bow and arrows, and when little Orion
accompanied her with his girdle round his waist, and a sword in his
hand, and when the two children rode round and round the circus on the
fleetest horses in the company, that they would in very truth bring
down the house--in short, that crowds would come to see them.
Uncle Ben was full of hope with regard to Diana, but he was by no
means so sure as far as Orion was concerned. If Orion would not play
his part well, and look what he was--one of the prettiest boys in
England, and one of the very youngest who had ever appeared in a
circus--why, half the effect would be lost. He began to perceive,
however, that cruelty had little or no effect on the child, and he was
inclined to allow that little genius, Diana, to manage him in her own
way.
That night when the entertainment had come to an end, and Uncle Ben
was seated at his cozy supper, he was much surprised when the door of
the room was pushed suddenly open and a small girl, clad in a little
white nightdress, made her appearance.
"Is my dear Uncle Ben anywhere about?" called out the clear little
voice.
"My word! if that aint little Diana," said the man. "Come here this
minute, you little romp, and get on my knee."
Diana flew up to him, climbed on his knee, put her arms round his
neck, and kissed him.
"You's sort o' fond of me, I'm thinking," she said.
"Yes, that I be, missy," he answered; "you are the 'cutest little gal
I ever seed, and you are fond of poor Uncle Ben, eh?"
"It all apends," replied Diana.
"Now what do you mean by that, missy?"
"It all apends," she repeated.
"Wife, can you understand her?" questioned the man.
"I think she means that it all depends, Ben."
"Oh, depends--on what now, my dear?"
"On whether you is good to my bwother or not."
"Oh, is that all? Well, I'll be good to 'im."
"He's awfu' fwightened of you."
"Well, he needn't be. If you'll manage him I won't say a word."
"Won't you twuly? Then I love you," said Diana. "Now, listen to me--I
has been a-talking to him."
"That's right, missy. Have a sip of my stout, won't you?"
"No; I don't like it; it's black, nasty stuff. Put it away; I won't
touch it. Well, now, listen to me, Uncle Ben. It apends altogether on
whether you is good to Orion to-morrow or not whether he wides well,
or whether he wides badly, and what I think is this--"
"Well, missy, you are a very wise little miss for your age."
"What I think is this," repeated Diana. "Let Orion wide G'eased
Lightning and let me wide Pole Star."
"But you can do anything with Greased Lightning," said the man. "Why,
the 'orse fairly loves you, and Pole Star's a rare and wicious sort of
beast."
"I aren't fwightened; that aren't me," said Diana, in her usual proud,
confident tone. "Orion isn't to wide a wicious sort of beast."
She slipped down from the man's knees and stood before him.
"It aren't me to be fwightened of any horse," she said. "I never was
and I never will be."
"I believe yer, miss," said Uncle Ben, gazing at her with great
admiration.
"But Orion he is--he is awfu' fwightened of Pole Star, and he sha'n't
wide him. Now, G'eased Lightning, he'll do anything for me, and so
what I say is this--let Orion wide him, and if he begins to dance
about and get sort of fidgety, why, I'll stwoke him down. You know I
could pwactice widing a little on Pole Star in the morning."
"To be sure you could, missy."
"Oh, my dear Ben," said Aunt Sarah at that moment, "you are never
a-going to let either of them little kids ride a 'orse like Pole
Star?"
"You let me manage my own affairs," said the man, scowling angrily.
"Well, I call it a shame," answered the woman.
"Poor Aunt Sawah! you needn't be fwightened," said Diana. "I is never
fwightened; that aren't me. I'll wide Pole Star, and Orion, he'll wide
G'eased Lightning, _only_--now, Uncle Ben, is you listening?"
"Yes, to be sure I am, missy," said Uncle Ben, taking another deep
draught from his big glass of stout. "What's the 'only,' little miss?"
"Let's pertend," said Diana.
"Pretend what, missy?"
"That after Orion has done it, after he has wode G'eased Lightning, he
may go 'way."
"Go away, missy?"
"Yes, let's pertend it. If he thinks he's going away after he has done
it, why, there's nothing he won't twy to do, 'cos, you see, he's
longing to go. Let's say this to him: 'Orion, you's good boy, you's
darlin' boy, and when you has done what I want you to do, you shall go
way'--then he'll do it beaut'ful."
"But he aint a-going," said the man, "he's my property. I has bought
him; I has bought you both. You are sort of slaves to me."
"No, I aren't a slave to nobody," said Diana, whose fierce little
blood could not brook this word.
"Well, you are a very good little gal, and so I am to pretend to Orion
that he's going away; but now, when I don't mean him to go, that seems
sort of cruel."
"Oh, you leave it to me!" said Diana; "let him think he's going away
and I'll manage. Tell Susan to tell him, and tell Aunt Sawah to tell
him, and you tell him, and I'll tell him, and then he'll be as good as
good, and as bwave--as bwave as a big giant."
"Well, my dear, manage it your own way," said Uncle Ben; "but, all the
same, it seems a shame. I aint what's called a very soft sort of man,
but it seems a shame to deceive a little kid; only you manage it your
own way, little missy."
"I'll manage it my own way," echoed Diana. "I'm awfu' 'bliged."
She tripped gayly out of the room.