of her death was sent them. _They_
lived to be old--past eighty both of them, when they died within a few
days of each other. But I never hobble up and down the terrace walk
without thinking of them," added Dudu, "and on the whole, my dears, even
if I had my choice, I don't think I should care to live another two or
three hundred years in a world where changes come so quickly."

Hugh and Jeanne were silent for a moment. Then "Thank you, dear Dudu,"
they said together.

And Dudu cocked his head on one side. "There is Marcelline calling you,"
he said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "Run downstairs. Take a look at the
beautiful stars overhead before you go. Good-bye, my dears."

"Good-night, Dudu, and thank you again," said the children, as they
hastened away.

They found their way back to the tapestry room without difficulty. They
were standing in the middle of the room, half puzzled as to how they had
got there, when Marcelline appeared.

"We have been with Dudu," they told her, before she had time to ask them
anything. "He has told us lovely stories--nicer even than fairy
adventures." And Marcelline smiled and seemed pleased, but not at all
surprised.

* * * * *

"A strange thing has happened," said Jeanne's father the next day. "I
feel quite distressed about it. Old Dudu the raven has disappeared. He
is nowhere to be found since yesterday afternoon, the gardener tells me.
They have looked for him everywhere in vain. I feel quite sorry--he has
been in the family so long--how long indeed I should be afraid to say,
for my father remembered him as a child."

The children looked at each other.

"Dudu has gone!" they said softly.

"We shall have no more stories," whispered Hugh.

"Nor fairy adventures," said Jeanne.

"He may come back again," said Hugh.

"I think not," said Jeanne, shaking her smooth little black head. "Don't
you remember, Cheri, what he said about not wishing to stay here
longer?"

"And he said 'good-bye,'" added Hugh sadly. "I fear he will not come
back."

But if he _ever_ does, children dear, and if you care to hear what he
has to tell, you shall not be forgotten, I promise you.

THE END

_Printed by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_.

Transcriber's notes:

Title page, closing single quote added to poetry quotation.

Page 4, period added to end of sentence. "any worse. Not"

Page 66, word "to" inserted in "Nibble next to the carriag