Circus Shoes Read Free Page B

she kissed them both.
    “Run along. Happy dreams.”
    Peter and Santa went upstairs. At the top Peter said in a very loud voice, “Good night, Santa.” He and banged shut her bedroom door. Then he opened his and pulled her inside. He shut the door and beckoned her over to the bed. They sat side by side and talked in whispers.
    Santa began.
    “Have you a plan?”
    “Yes. We’re going to run away.”
    “Where to? “
    “Our uncle. The one Aunt Rebecca had the card from every Christmas. We might stay with him.”
    “We don’t know where he is, and we haven’t any money.”
    “That’s what the watch and bracelet are for. We’ll sell them. And perhaps the card says where he is. I’ll get it.”
    Santa looked doubtful.
    “Don’t want them to hear you creeping about.”
    Peter got up.
    “They won’t.”
    Luckily the door-handle turned very quietly. Peter stood passage and listened. Mr. Stibbings and Mrs. Ford were talking. Aunt Rebecca’s room was at the end of the passage. Very quietly he opened the door. Would Mrs. Ford have moved the card? He hoped not. Softly he crept across the room and felt round the mirror. There it was in the top left-hand corner. In a moment he had shut the door and was back in his room. Without a word he sat down beside Santa and read the card.
    It was a Christmas postcard with a picture of a church covered in snow on it. On the back it said:

    COB’S CIRCUS.
    Just a line, old dear, for the festive season. Hoping this finds you in the pink. Doing a four weeks’ season and tenting with same April.
    Love,
    Gus.

    Peter and Santa stared at each other. They hardly knew what the word “circus” meant. At some other they had seen a poster advertising one, vision of that had remained in the back of their minds.
    “That’s where people stand on horses,” Santa said.
    “And a man sits on a lion,” Peter added.
    Santa studied the card.
    “Do you suppose our uncle’s called Gus? What an awful name.”
    “I don’t see how it can be our uncle,” Peter objected. “What would he be doing with a circus?”
    Santa again read what was written.
    “I wonder what ‘tenting’ means. That’s what doing now. It says April.”
    Peter leaned over her shoulder.
    “So it does. I hadn’t thought of that.” He got up. “Look. Go to your room. Pack as little as you can in your case. Get into bed with all your things on except your shoes. Whatever you do, don’t go to sleep. As soon as Mrs. Ford’s asleep, and she snores so loud, I’ll be sure to hear if I listen in the passage, I’ll come fetch you.”
    Santa crept to the door.
    “You’ll bring my bracelet?”
    Peter nodded.
    “Where’ll we go?”
    He shrugged his shoulders.
    “I don’t know where we’ll go tonight. Tomorrow we’ll find Cob’s Circus.”

III
    Escape

    Santa felt certain that with an important thing like running away hanging over her she would not feel a bit like going to sleep. But she was wrong. She had never been to bed in her clothes before, so she had idea how hot she would be. In spite of what Peter had said, she did not keep on all her clothes. She took off her dress. It was, after all, the only dress she was taking, and she had to go on wearing it at least until she found her Uncle Gus, and perhaps much longer; her aunt’s training had made her much too fussy to be seen about all over creases. In any case, it was scarcely the kind of dress to go to bed in. It was green to her coat and hat, and had pleats. Even with her dress off she was stifling. But she went to sleep.
    She woke up to find Peter’s hand over her mouth.
    “Ssh. Get up. Come on.”
    Santa sat up and rubbed her eyes. Then she thought of Mrs. Ford.
    “Is she asleep?”
    “Yes, hours. It’s half-past three. Come on.”
    Santa got out of bed and put on her dress.
    “Why is it so late? I thought we were going as soon as she was asleep.”
    “I’ll tell you when we get outside. Hurry.”
    Santa tied her shoes and pulled on her coat. She