"The one who killed his
grandfa--" "But I didn't do it!" he almost wailed. "You--_you_ must
believe me, ma'am. I didn't do it!" He stood before her, looking
straight into her eyes.
"No, Mrs. Braddock," said Grinaldi, "he didn't do it." "How do you
know, Grinaldi? How can you--" "Because he says another person did
it," said Grinaldi calmly.
The woman turned to the boy once more. She seemed to be searching his
soul with her intense gaze.
"No," she murmured, after a moment, breathing deeply, "I am sure you
did _not_ commit murder. You poor, poor boy!"
He would have dropped to his knees before her, had not the clown
checked him by means of a warning hiss.
"Brace up!" he said sharply. Then to Mrs. Bradock: "We've got to find
a way to 'ide 'im. The officers are right on his 'eels."
She hesitated for a moment. Swift glances passed between her and the
clown.
"You must keep very quiet and do what we tell you to do," she said to
the boy, who nodded his head eagerly. "You will be safe here. A circus
is the safest harbor in all the world for the thief and the
lawbreaker. Why should it not be so for one who is innocent?"
"Let me tell you all about it, madam," began David Jenison, the
hunted.
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