She was very worried, and no wonder, for the doctor had been gone so long!
Auntie Ganimed clasped her hands, clucked her tongue and shook her head.
"Where are your spectacles?
Did you break them?
Ah, Doctor! Oh, Doctor!
Where is your cape?
Did you lose it?
My, my!"
"Auntie Ganimed, I also broke the heels of my shoes."
"What a shame!"
"Something much worse than that happened today. Prospero the Gunsmith was captured.
He's been put in an iron cage."
Auntie Ganimed had no idea what had happened during the day.
She had heard the cannons booming, she had seen the red glow over the rooftops.
A neighbour had told her that a hundred carpenters were making scaffolds for the rebels on Court Square.
"I was very frightened.
I locked the shutters and decided to stay indoors.
I waited for you all day long.
I was so worried.
Your lunch got cold and supper got cold," she said.
The night was ending.
Doctor Caspar made ready for bed.
Among the hundred different sciences he had studied was History.
The doctor had a large leather-bound book.
In it he wrote down his thoughts about important events.
"One must always keep things in good order," said the doctor raising his finger.
And so, even though he was very tired, he pulled a chair over to the table, opened his leather-bound book and began to write:
"The workers, the miners, the sailors, all the poor working people of the town, rose up against the rule of the Three Fat Men.
The Guards won the battle.
Prospero the Gunsmith has been captured, but Tibul the Acrobat escaped.
A Guard shot his officer on Star Square.
That means all the soldiers will soon refuse to fight against the people and defend the Three Fat Men.
But I am worried about Tibul."
The doctor heard a scraping noise behind his back.
He turned around and faced the fire-place.
A tall man in a green cape had just climbed down the chimney and stepped into the room.
It was Tibul the Acrobat.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE BALLOON MAN'S STRANGE ADVENTURES
The next day work was in full swing in Court Square. The carpenters were building ten scaffolds.
A dozen armed Guards were overseeing the work.
The carpenters did not seem happy about their job.
"We don't want to build scaffolds for workers and miners!" they said.
"They are our brothers!"
"They were ready to die to free all the working people!"
"Silence!" the head Guard roared in a voice so terribly loud that the planks stacked against the wall toppled over. "Silence! Or I'll have you all whipped!"
Since early morning crowds had been pouring into Court Square.
A strong wind was raising up clouds of dust, swinging the shop signs on their hinges, blowing hats off and rolling them under the wheels of carriages.
In one place the wind did something very unusual: it carried off the man who sold balloons!
"Hooray!