“Not any in mine, thank you,” murmured a man, and that seemed to be the general opinion.

As Joe and his new associates arose to bow to the renewed applause, the ringmaster made an announcement.

“A blazing banquet, such as you have just witnessed, will take place at each and every performance,” he declared.  “Come and bring your friends!  Nothing like it ever seen before on any stage or in any circus in the world!

“Remember, you will see the same and identical act at each and every performance and all for the price of one admission.  Professor Strong and his gifted salamander associates will eat fire as they did just now, at each and every show in the big tent.  I thank you!”

“Well, Joe, it went all right!” said Jim Tracy when the performers had left the stage and the young fire-eater was alone on the platform.  “It went like a house afire!”

“Yes,” said Joe, “it seemed to.  I guess it went better than if we had made a lot of preliminary notices.  The suddenness of it took them by surprise.”

“But we can advertise it big now,” said the ringmaster.  “We don’t need to specify exactly what it is.  Of course those who have seen it will tell their friends who are coming and who haven’t seen it.  But the big majority of the audiences will be as much surprised as this one was.  It went big.”

“Yes,” agreed Joe, “it did.  And I’m glad of it.  This is the sensation I was planning, but I didn’t want to go into details until I was sure it would work.  I had to engage my helpers in the dark, so to speak, and I didn’t even tell you what I was planning until the last minute.”

“No, you didn’t,” said Jim.

Helen Morton came slowly across the arena.  Her act was over, and she had seen the blazing banquet and Joe’s part in it.

Her cheeks were unusually red as she approached holding out her hand, and there was a rather misty look about her eyes as she said: 

“Will you forgive me, Joe?”

“For what?” he asked tantalizingly.

“Oh, you know perfectly well!” she exclaimed.  “It was very silly of me, but—­”

“I know, Helen.  I did tease you a bit,” he said.  “I suppose I might have told you that the pretty girls were those I had engaged to help in the banquet scene, together with the young fellows.  We had only a few rehearsals in my tent, and I didn’t want to spread the news too generally, even among the circus crowd, for fear of a leak.  But I suppose I might have told you.”

“It would have saved me from acting so silly, if you had,” she murmured.

“Then it is I who should ask forgiveness,” said Joe.  “But it’s all right now.  And may I come to lunch with you, or would you rather that I should go with—­one of the pretty girls?”

“If you do I’ll never forgive you!” declared Helen, blushing more than ever.  And so the little quarrel ended.