Mr. Cannelloni's Circus

Cleopatra petted Luxor, who sat in her lap. Right next to
her sat the new clown of the circus—the former special
inspector, Maximillian Knapp. By now he seemed to feel
perfectly comfortable in his clown’s costume and wig. His
anger had faded after thinking things over. He’d decided that
in two ticks, his life had become much more fun. He tapped
his long clown shoes, eager to get the show started. Victor
and Hugo nodded encouragingly to their new colleague.
Cannelloni smiled at his wife, and gave a thumbs-up to
the entire pack of performers. After Budo blew the trumpet
fanfare, the circus director stepped through the curtains
onto the stage and opened the show.
The Cannelloni Circus had an unusual audience tonight.
There were the usual families with children, groups of
schoolchildren, grandparents and grandchildren, as
well as aunts and uncles with their godchildren.
But among this crowd were also many of
Boris’s acquaintances, as well as opera
lovers.
114