some disappointment.

"Did you not expect to see me?" said the raven. "Why, I thought it would
amuse you to come up here and see the stars."

"So it will," said Hugh, anxious to make up for Jeanne's abruptness.
"But, you see, we thought--at least we hoped--we should find some new
adventures up here, especially when the ball hopped down the stairs, all
gold."

"What did you expect?" said Dudu, cocking his head. "Fairies, I suppose,
or enchanted princesses, or something of that kind. What creatures
children are for wonders, to be sure."

"Now, Dudu," said Jeanne, "you needn't talk that way. Whether we're fond
of wonders or not, anyhow it's you that's given us them to be fond of.
It was you that sent us to the frogs' country, and all that, and it was
you that took us to hear the white lady's story. So you're not to laugh
at us, and you must find us some more adventures, now you've brought us
up here."

"Adventures don't grow on every tree, Mademoiselle Jeanne," remarked
Dudu.

"Well, _Dudus_ don't either," replied Jeanne; "but as we've got _you_,
you see, it all depends on you to get us the adventures. I know you can,
if you like."

Dudu shook his head.

"No," he said, "there are many things I can't do. But come out on to the
roof, we can talk there just as well."

He just turned towards the door by which he had entered, and it opened
of itself. He hopped through, and the children followed him. They found
themselves, as Dudu had said, on the roof of the house, of a part of the
house, that is to say. It seemed more like the roof of a little tower or
turret.

Hugh and Jeanne stood for a moment or two in silence, looking up at the
brilliant show of stars overhead. It was not cold, the air seemed
peculiarly fresh and sweet, as if it were purer and finer than that
lower down.

"It's rather nice up here, eh?" said Dudu.

"Yes, very," replied Hugh. "We're very much obliged to you for bringing
us up here. Aren't we, Jeanne?"

"Yes," said Jeanne, "not counting fairies and adventures that's to say,
it's very nice up here."

"I often come up here at night," said Dudu. "I wonder how many thousand
times I've been up here."

"Are you so very old, Dudu?" said Jeanne, "as old as the white lady?"

"I daresay," said Dudu, vaguely--he seemed to be thinking to himself.
"Yes," he continued, cocking his head on one side, "I suppose I am what
_you_ would call very old, though the white lady would consider me quite
a baby.