They took a long time in exploring the cupboard. Suddenly Humpty cried, "We have forgotten Poor Jane's brother!"
"Here, Humpty, will you open it? This handle is stiff."
Humpty pulled and struggled with the handle until he was red in the face.
"Let me try again," said Dumpty, and she pushed and struggled, but to no purpose.
For a long time she and Humpty tried alternately to open the door, but nothing that they could do was of any avail.
"I think it is locked," said Humpty at last, sitting down despondently. He was panting breathlessly, and began to swing his legs.
Dumpty's eyes grew wide with terror, her lips trembled.
"Have they locked us in on purpose?" she asked.
"Yes," said Humpty, "the circus people have locked us in, and they won't unlock the door until they have left Woodstead."
"Then they will keep us, and never let us come home again--like they did to Poor Jane's brother, and I shall be a bare-back rider, and you will wear the blue velvet gown, and ride in the processions on the piebald pony."
"And we shall never see mummie or daddy again--or Nan--or Poor Jane," said Dumpty, beginning to cry.
"No, we shall never see them again," answered Humpty, swallowing hard to keep himself from crying.
Dumpty was crying bitterly now, and the loud sobs shook her small body. Humpty looked dismally at his surroundings, and continued to swing his legs.
"Give over!" he said to Dumpty, after one of her loudest sobs; "it will never do for them to see that you've been crying, or they will be just furious."
After a time Dumpty dried her eyes, and went to the window, and drew back the curtains.
Humpty began to whistle. Suddenly he stopped.
"I am getting awful hungry," he remarked.
"We shan't have nuffin' to eat until the morning," said Dumpty.
"Humpty," she continued, "would it be any good if we screamed and banged the door?"
"No," said the boy; "if they heard us trying to give the alarm, they would be very angry, and perhaps they wouldn't give us anything to eat for days--not until we were nearly dead."
"I think we had better go to sleep," said Dumpty, yawning, and began saying her prayers.
In a few minutes both children were lying fast asleep on the floor of the caravan.
"Well, I'm blowed!" said Bill, gaping open-mouthed at the sight of the two children asleep in the caravan.