e Hugh counted on. And "what is he going
to do now?" he added, as Dudu, arrived at the foot of the stairs, looked
calmly about him for a minute or two, as if considering his next
movements. Then--how he managed it Hugh could not tell--he suddenly
stepped out of the tapestry landscape, and in another moment was
perched in his old place at the foot of Hugh's bed.

He looked at Hugh for an instant or two, gravely and scrutinisingly,
then bowed politely. Hugh, who was half sitting up in bed, bowed too,
but without speaking. He remembered Jeanne's charges to be very polite
to the raven, and thought it better to take no liberties with him, but
to wait patiently till he heard what Monsieur Dudu had to say. For
somehow it seemed to him a matter of course that the raven _could_
speak--he was not the very least surprised when at last Dudu cleared his
throat pompously and began--

"You have been expecting me, have you not?"

Hugh hesitated.

"I don't know exactly. I'm not quite sure. Yes, I think I thought
perhaps you'd come. But oh! if you please, Monsieur Dudu," he exclaimed,
suddenly starting up, "do let me go and call Jeanne. I promised her I
would if you came, or if I saw anything funny. Do let me go. I won't be
a minute."

But the raven cocked his head on one side and looked at Hugh rather
sternly.

"No," he said. "You cannot go for Jeanne. I do not wish it at present."

Hugh felt rather angry. Why should Dudu lay down the law to him in this
way?

"But I promised," he began.

"People should not promise what they are not sure of being able to
perform," he said sententiously. "Besides, even if you did go to get
Jeanne, she couldn't come. She is ever so far away."

"Away!" repeated Hugh in amazement, "away! Little Jeanne gone away. Oh
no, you must be joking Du--, I beg your pardon, Monsieur Dudu."

"Not at all," said Dudu. "She _is_ away, and farther away than you or
she has any notion of, even though if you went into her room you would
see her little rosy face lying on the pillow. _She_ is away."

Hugh still looked puzzled, though rather less so.

"You mean that her thinking is away, I suppose," he said. "But I could
wake her."

Again the raven cocked his head on one side.

"No," he said. "You must be content to do my way at present. Now, tell
me what it is you want. Why did you wish me to come to see you?"

"I wanted--at least I thought, and Jeanne said so," began Hugh. "We
thought perhaps you were a fair