admired in his grandfather's garden. Hugh was too much
amazed to rub his eyes again--he could do nothing but stare, and stare
he did with all his might, but for a moment or two there was nothing
else to be seen. The peacocks stood still--so still that Hugh now
began to doubt whether they had not always stood, tails spread, just as
he saw them now, and whether these same tails having ever drooped on the
ground was not altogether his fancy. A good deal puzzled, and a little
disappointed, he was turning away to look at another part of the
pictured walls, when again a slight flutter of movement caught his eyes.
What was about to happen this time?

[Illustration:--"IT WAS DUDU!"--p. 51.]

"Perhaps they are going to furl their tails again," thought Hugh; but
no. One on each side of the castle door, the peacocks solemnly advanced
a few steps, then stood still--quite still--but yet with a certain
waiting look about them as if they were expecting some one or something.
They were not kept waiting long. The door of the castle opened slowly,
very slowly, the peacocks stepped still a little farther forward, and
out of the door of the castle--the castle into which little Jeanne had
so longed to enter--who, what, who _do_ you think came forth? It was
Dudu!

A small black figure, black from head to foot, head very much cocked on
one side, foot--claw I should say--stuck out like a walking-stick; he
stood between the peacocks, right in Hugh's view, just in front of the
door which had closed behind him, at the top of the high flight of
steps. He stood still with an air of great dignity, which seemed to say,
"Here you see me for the first time in my rightful character--monarch of
all I survey." And somehow Hugh felt that this unspoken address was
directed to _him_. Then, quietly and dignifiedly still, the raven
turned, first to the right, then to the left, and gravely bowed to the
two attendant peacocks, who each in turn saluted him respectfully and
withdrew a little farther back, on which Dudu began a very slow and
imposing progress down the steps. How he succeeded in making it so
imposing was the puzzle, for after all, his descent was undoubtedly a
series of hops, but all the same it was very majestic, and Hugh felt
greatly impressed, and watched him with bated breath.

"One, two, three, four," said Hugh to himself, half unconsciously
counting each step as the raven advanced, "what a lot of steps! Five,
six, seven," up to twenty-thre