"You're a lucky little miss; you keep your brother as long as you can.
Ah! my poor brother, my poor brother!"
"Is your brother dead?" asked Dumpty sympathetically. She was not so
frightened now, for although the old woman still held her pretty tight
she did not look as if she meant to hurt them.
"No, he is alive! He is alive! They tell me he is dead, but I know
better. A circus came to Woodstead" (the little shopping-town two miles
from the village), "and he joined that--he had to go; the circus
people--they was gipsies most of 'em--forced him--and he 'ad to go; 'e
is a clown now."
"A clown!" cried the twins.
"Yus, and they won't let 'im come back to his poor old Jane. They're a
keepin' us apart, they're a keepin' us apart!" And her voice died away
in a wail. She stopped in the middle of the road.
"Poor Jane!" whispered Dumpty; "poor Jane! I am so sorry"; but Jane took
no more notice of them, but went on murmuring to herself, "Keepin' us
apart--keepin' us apart."
"Come on, Dump," said Humpty at last; "it's no good staying, she doesn't
seem to want us." Dumpty joined him, and there were tears in her eyes.
What Poor Jane had said was so very, very sad. The twins had so much to
think about now that they talked very little during their walk, but when
they did, it was all about Poor Jane and her brother, who was the clown
in a circus.
When they got home the children had tea and games downstairs, and
altogether it was great fun, but they did not mention their meeting with
Poor Jane.
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