atue.

"As he is turned into stone," said he, "we have only to find a pedestal
to put him on, and there we are."

A little way off, a stone Cupid, rather the worse for wear, stood beside
the pathway, and this, the Ambassador decided, should be removed to make
way for the Dodo.

The united efforts of the Little Panjandrum's suite (who had by this
time returned, having been assured that the creatures which had so
alarmed them had been rendered harmless) soon succeeded in overthrowing
Cupid from his pedestal, and after a great deal of pulling, pushing, and
straining, the Dodo, still posing in his grotesque attitude, was stuck
up in his place.

"There must be an inscription," said the Ambassador, and, rummaging
about in his pockets, he brought forth a piece of black crayon. "THE
DODO, NOW FORTUNATELY EXTINCT," he wrote in large letters, and then
stood back to admire the effect.

[Illustrastion: The Dodo's Monument.]

The Little Panjandrum beamed approval, and calling together his suite,
the Black Attendant once more raised the State Umbrella over His
Importance's head, and the tom-tom and Jew's harp began their strange
music, while the Ambassador took a hurried leave of the children, and
the cortege passed out of sight. Fainter and fainter grew the sound of
the instruments, and the children, somewhat alarmed at being left all
alone, were half undecided whether to follow or not, when their
attention was called to a smothered giggling at the back of them.

Turning around, they beheld the Dodo holding his hands to his sides, and
shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Ho! ho! ho!" he laughed, dancing about on the pedestal, "haven't I
tricked them beautifully? _Turned to stone! The Dodo, now fortunately
extinct!_ Ha! ha! ha! he! he! _what_ a lark! They'll find I'm not so
extinct as they think." And, jumping down, he made a grimace in the
direction in which the Little Panjandrum and suite had vanished.

"I think I've got the best of them _this_ time," he continued,
triumphantly.

"But come, let's get out of this as soon as possible. You want to get to
London, don't you? Let's start at once, if not sooner."

"But, I say, what are we going to do for money?" said Dick. "One can't
get to London without that, you know."

"Oh, we'll find a way somehow," said the Dodo, hopefully. "Come along."

So the children all trudged back to the Palace again. Fidge, who was
very glad to see his old friend the Dodo restored to life agai