ably
settled--shall I tell you who it was now, or shall I keep it for a
tit-bit at the end when I have quite finished about the carriage? Yes,
that will be better. For the funniest things about the carriage have to
be told yet. Up on the box, in the coachman's place, you understand,
holding with an air of the utmost importance in one claw a pair of
yellow silk reins, his tufted head surmounted by a gold-laced livery
hat, which, however, must have had a hole in the middle to let the tuft
through, for there it was in all its glory waving over the hat like a
dragoon's plume, sat, or stood rather, Houpet; while, standing behind,
holding on each with one claw to the back of the carriage, like real
footmen, were the two other chickens. They, too, had gold-laced hats and
an air of solemn propriety, not _quite_ so majestic as Houpet's, for in
their case the imposing tuft was wanting, but still very fine of its
kind. And who do you think were the horses? for there were two--or, to
speak more correctly, there were no horses at all, but in the place
where they should have been were harnessed, tandem-fashion, not abreast,
Nibble the guinea-pig and Grignan the tortoise! Nibble next to the
carriage, Grignan, of all creatures in the world, as leader.

On sight of them Hugh began to laugh, so that he forgot to look more
closely at the person in the carriage, whose face he had not yet seen,
as it was turned the other way. But the sound of his laughing was too
infectious to be resisted--the small figure began to shake all over, and
at last could contain itself no longer. With a shout of merriment little
Jeanne, for it was she, sprang out of the carriage and threw her arms
round Hugh's neck.

"O Cheri," she said, "I _couldn't_ keep quiet any longer, though I
wanted to hide my face till you had got into the carriage, and then
surprise you. But it was so nice to hear you laugh--I _couldn't_ keep
still."

Hugh felt too utterly astonished to reply. He just stared at Jeanne as
if he could not believe his own eyes. And Jeanne did not look surprised
at all! That, to Hugh, was the most surprising part of the whole.

"Jeanne!" he exclaimed, "you here! Why, Dudu told me you were ever so
far away."

"And so I am," replied Jeanne, laughing again, "and so are you, Cheri.
You have no idea how far away you are--miles, and miles, and miles, only
in this country they don't have milestones. It's all quite different."

"How do you mean?" asked Hugh.