white mounds of
varying sizes and heights, and up in the sky the dull blue-grey curtain
of snow-cloud made one draw back shivering from the window, feeling as
if the sun had gone off in a sulky fit and would _never_ come back
again.

But inside, close by the brightly-blazing wood fire, Jeanne and Hugh
found themselves "very well," as the little girl called it, very well
indeed. And the hot coffee was very nice, much nicer, Hugh thought, than
the very weak tea which his grandmother's maid used to give him for
breakfast at home. He stirred it round and round slowly with his spoon,
staring into his cup, while he repeated, in answer to little Jeanne's
question about what he had dreamt, "No, I don't know."

"But you did dream _something_," said Jeanne rather impatiently. "Can't
you tell me about it? I thought you were going to have all sorts of
funny things to tell me. You said you would have a party of the peacocks
and all the pets, and make them tell stories."

"Yes," said Hugh slowly. "But I couldn't make them--I must wait till
they come. I think I did dream some funny things last night, but I can't
remember. There seemed to be a lot of chattering, and once I thought I
saw the raven standing at the end of the bed, but that time I wasn't
dreaming. I'm sure I wasn't; but I was very sleepy, and I couldn't hear
what he said. He seemed to want me to do something or other, and then he
nodded his head to where the peacocks are, and do you know, Jeanne, I
thought they nodded too. Wasn't that funny? But I daresay it was only
the firelight--the fire had burnt low, and then it bobbed up again all
of a sudden."

"And what more?" asked Jeanne eagerly. "O Cheri, I think that's
wonderful! Do tell me some more."

"I don't think I remember any more," said Hugh. "After that I went to
sleep, and then it was all a muddle. There were the chickens and Nibble
and the tortoise all running about, and Dudu seemed to be talking to me
all the time. But it was just a muddle; you know how dreams go
sometimes. And when I woke up the fire was quite out and it was all
dark. And then I saw the light of Marcelline's candle through the hinge
of the door, and she came to tell me it was time to get up."

"Oh dear," said Jeanne, "I do hope you'll dream some more to-night."

"I daresay I shan't dream at all," said Hugh. "Some nights I go to
sleep, and it's morning in one minute. I don't like that much, because
it's nice to wake up and feel how cosy it i