BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE CIRCUS. 289 



carving in front's beautiful, you see, and it's a 

 real fine carriage. Everybody acknowledged 

 that Tanring bad a better carriage tban any 

 monarch in Europe. The harness is splendid, 

 too. See here ! It nearly takes an elephant to 

 carry it — strong horses I have to get, I can tell 

 you. That harness was made for the Emperor 

 Napoleon, just before he went to the campaign 

 to Sedan. He never got back in time to take 

 it up," says Mr. Tanring, dryly. "There's no 

 nonsense about that carriage, and the servants 

 are to match. All dressed in the best gold, 

 bullion, silk, and velvet. Each man has more 

 than jSIOO worth of clothes on as he stands 

 behind, and the coachman on the box too." 



" You seem to have had a pretty intimate 

 acquaintance with crowned heads," I suggest, 

 as another present from the late King of Italy 

 is pointed out. " I suppose Victor Emmanuel 

 was very fond of circuses ? " 



''Fond of circuses, sir? He was the best 

 fellow in the world ! " Mr. Tanring cries, and 

 I take it to be as neat a response as I have 

 heard for a long time. 



From the circus proprietor's standpoint it is 

 easy to comprehend that good fellows are esti- 

 mated according to their appreciation of the 

 entertainment he provides ; and the king must 



19 



