their way towards the town, and the girls saw them no more.

Most things they say have a moral, if you only look for it. What was
the moral of this?

The moral was, as I thought: First, that the chief juggler had heard
Mr. Franklin’s arrival talked of among the servants out-of-doors, and
saw his way to making a little money by it. Second, that he and his men
and boy (with a view to making the said money) meant to hang about till
they saw my lady drive home, and then to come back, and foretell Mr.
Franklin’s arrival by magic. Third, that Penelope had heard them
rehearsing their hocus-pocus, like actors rehearsing a play. Fourth,
that I should do well to have an eye, that evening, on the
plate-basket. Fifth, that Penelope would do well to cool down, and
leave me, her father, to doze off again in the sun.

That appeared to me to be the sensible view. If you know anything of
the ways of young women, you won’t be surprised to hear that Penelope
wouldn’t take it. The moral of the thing was serious, according to my
daughter. She particularly reminded me of the Indian’s third question,
Has the English gentleman got It about him? “Oh, father!” says
Penelope, clasping her hands, “don’t joke about this. What does ‘It’
mean?”

“We’ll ask Mr. Franklin, my dear,” I said, “if you can wait till Mr.
Franklin comes.” I winked to show I meant that in joke. Penelope took
it quite seriously. My girl’s earnestness tickled me. “What on earth
should Mr. Franklin know about it?” I inquired. “Ask him,” says
Penelope. “And see whether _he_ thinks it a laughing matter, too.” With
that parting shot, my daughter left me.

I settled it with myself, when she was gone, that I really would ask
Mr. Franklin—mainly to set Penelope’s mind at rest. What was said
between us, when I did ask him, later on that same day, you will find
set out fully in its proper place. But as I don’t wish to raise your
expectations and then disappoint them, I will take leave to warn you
here—before we go any further—that you won’t find the ghost of a joke
in our conversation on the subject of the jugglers. To my great
surprise, Mr. Franklin, like Penelope, took the thing seriously. How
seriously, you will understand, when I tell you that, in his opinion,

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