31.   A small circle of black officials and clergy supported and advised him.

32.   A small circle of longtime friends also help him maintain his poise, the singer adds.

33.   After that, Miss Bigman lived quietly in Greenwich Village, occasionally entertaining a small circle of friends and remaining steadfast in her devotion to Winchell.

34.   Allen and a small circle of senior executives tinkered with the plan and made a second, two-hour presentation to the board in July.

35.   But because Wolfram has been so secretive, he has shown his work only to a small circle of selected colleagues.

36.   But he still has a small circle of friends.

37.   But it was not until Saturday night that Bush, nestled in Camp David, started informing anyone beyond his small circle of advisers and military planners.

38.   But the politics and process of the succession are known only to a small circle.

39.   By now there was a small circle of pale red snow under the body, as if someone had tinted the background with a splash of watercolor.

40.   Davis has been distrustful of anyone outside a small circle of political advisers.