Page:The Wouldbegoods.djvu/142

 (I hope you do not think that the words I use are getting too long. I know they are the right words. And Albert's uncle says your style is always altered a bit by what you read. And I have been reading the Vicomte de Bragelonne. Nearly all my new words come out of those.)

"The worst of a circus is," Dora said, "that you've got to teach the animals things. A circus where the performing creatures hadn't learned performing would be a bit silly. Let's give up a week to teaching them and then have the circus."

Some people have no idea of the value of time. And Dora is one of those who do not understand that when you want to do a thing you do want to, and not to do something else, and perhaps your own thing, a week later.

Oswald said the first thing was to collect the performing animals.

"Then perhaps," he said, "we may find that they have hidden talents hitherto unsuspected by their harsh masters."

So Denny took a pencil and wrote a list of the animals required.

This is it:


 * 1 Bull for bull-fight.


 * 1 Horse for ditto (if possible).


 * 1 Goat to do Alpine feats of daring.


 * 1 Donkey to play see-saw.