Penny Does a Runner: Part IX

Penny had only been a member of the circus for a short time but already her former life as a schoolgirl was a fast-fading memory. She was doing very brisk business on her first night as an usherette, and she glowed in anticipation of the praise she would get from Mr Carter when the evening’s show was over.

But as she turned with a smile from her latest customer and looked out over the audience she was given a sudden and unwelcome reminder of her status as a fugitive: sitting not ten feet away,...