The Tapestry Room: A Child's RomanceMolesworth, Mrs.
Science
The Tapestry Room: A Child's Romance
Molesworth, Mrs.
Fantasy literature
He flew down from Jeanne's head as he spoke. Jeanne gave her head a
little shake; she seemed not altogether sorry to be freed from her
head-dress, for a head-dress with _feelings_ is a somewhat uncomfortable
affair.
"I don't mind you getting off my head, Dudu," she said. "But you might
take a turn on Cheri's for a change. I think it's rather shabby of you
to leave us already."
Hugh looked at Jeanne in surprise. He could not understand how it was
that Jeanne ventured to speak so coolly to the raven--she who in their
daylight life was so frightened of him that she would hardly go near him
for fear he should turn her into a mouse, or in some other way bewitch
her!
"I think it's very good-natured of Monsieur Dudu to have come with us so
far," he said. "We could never have got into the tapestry castle at all
but for him."
"No," said Dudu, "that you certainly wouldn't." But he didn't seem
offended. "Good-bye," he said, "and if you're in any trouble remember
the former arrangement. Whistle three times."
"Good-bye," said Hugh and Jeanne. But as they said it, their looks met
each other in astonishment--there was no Dudu there--he had already
disappeared.
"What a queer way he has of going off all of a sudden," said Jeanne.
"And what are we to do now?" said Hugh.
"Go up the stairs, of course, till we find where they lead to," said
Jeanne.
"It will be rather awkward with our wings," said Hugh. "The stair is so
very narrow and twisting."
Jeanne made an exclamation.
"Wings!" she said. "Why, Cheri, your wings are gone!"
"And so are yours!" said Hugh.
Both the children stared at each other and turned round to look at their
shoulders, as if they could hardly believe it.
"It's too bad," said Jeanne. "It's all Dudu."
"Never mind," said Hugh. "He wouldn't have taken them away if we had
been going to need them again; and really, Jeanne, the more I think of
it the more sure I am we could never have got up that stair with our
wings on."
"Perhaps not," said Jeanne. "Any way _I_ couldn't have got up it with
Dudu on my head. But let's go on, Cheri. Are you frightened? I'm not a
bit."
"I'm not, either," said Hugh. "Still, it's a very queer place. I wish
Dudu, or Houpet, or some of them, had come with us!"
They set off on their climb up the steep spiral staircase. So narrow it
was, that going hand-in-hand was out of the question.
"It's worse than the staircase down to the frogs' country," said Jeanne.
Hugh looked at her triumphantly.
"There now, Jeanne, you _do_ remember," he said. "I believe it was just
pretence your saying you thought I had dreamt it all."
"No," said Jeanne, "it wasn't. You don't understand, Cheri. I'm
moonlight Jeanne, now--when we were having the dolls' feast I was
daylight Jeanne. And you know it's never moonlight in the day-time."
"Well, certainly, I _don't_ understand," said Hugh. "And one thing
particularly--how is it that in the moon-time you remember about the
day-time, if in the day you forget all about the other."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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