Jem bravely tried creeping round the back of the tent to see if he had strayed there. One of the circus men shouted at him, raising his fists in threat. 'Please, sir, I mean no harm. I'm looking for my little brother. He's lost!' said Jem. 'There ain't no little brother here. Now make yourself scarce before I give you a boot up the backside!' 'Madame Adeline!' I called, hoping she'd come running to rescue us, but she didn't hear me. Other men did though, and came hurrying out of their wagons. 'Clear off, you little varmints. The show's over!' one growled. 'Come on, you two,' said Nat. 'They're going to cut up rough any minute.' We all had to run for it. We stopped at the edge of the field to catch our breath. I started crying again. 'We'd best take Hetty home, Jem,' said Nat. 'You never know, Gideon might be back home himself by now. I dare say he just hid himself somewhere in the yard. He's that timid he'd never go dashing off by himself.' We hurried home, Nat and Jem holding me tight by the hands, but even so I kept tripping.
