HOW MISS HOOPOO LOOKED FOR HOODT-HOODT

A Very early on the morning after the King was lost in the forest, Miss Hoopoo went to their meeting place among the sweet grasses of the Nile. She was all ready to be friends again. She looked at every passing Hoopoo and laughed at them when they followed her, but all the time she kept looking for Hoodt-Hoodt. 

 

But Hoodt-Hoodt was not at the meeting place. She waited. "Why doesn't he come?" she said. She went on playing with the other Hoopoos. Still Hoodt-Hoodt didn't come. "Why doesn't Hoodt-Hoodt come?" she said. The day passed on. She became tired and flew back to her mother. Then at sunset she went back to the meeting place by the Nile. Still Hoodt-Hoodt didnot come. 

 

"Oh! Oh!" she said, "I was very foolish. i said too much. i told him not to come back till he had got a crown. How can he get a crown? Oh! Oh!" And she put down her he ad and wept. 

 

B The next day she waited; and the next day; and the next, but Hoodt-Hoodt did not come. She spoke 

 

?How Miss Hoopoo lookedfor Hoodt-Hoodt D Then she awoke! She had felt a !ittle pain just over her heart - where the white feathers grew. (A fairy had pu11ed out one of her white feathers.) She opened her eyes and looked round. What was it? She stood ready to fly away; but she saw nothing. There was nothing to see. The fairies put. the feather in a little box: the biggest fairy took the, box on his back, and they flew away over the desert to the Ramasseum. They flew over the high wa11, in through an open door, down - down - down _ down into the room of the Seven Wise Women. 

 

Miss Hoopoo stood on one foot and thought, "What was that pain? i don't think it's safe here. 1'11 leave the forest and go home to mother." Then she stood on the other foot, and thought, "No, i won't go home to mother. 1'11 go to where i saw Ramses with that crown on his head. 1'11 go and have another look at it and see that it really isn't anything at alL. What's a crown? Nothing! Just a thing that he puts on his head. Why, oh why did i telI Hoodt-Hoodt that he must get a crown?" 

 

E So she flew across the desert and came to the Ramasseum just as darkness was falling. The windows were all dark; only in one place there was light. And there she heard sounds of singing. She came down on a tree near a window. Evening came on. The beautiful Egyptian night was all round her; but she felt so sad. She looked in through the windowand saw a great gathering of people. 

 

"Perhaps so me great prinee is being sent away to the war," she thought. She eould see the daneers daneing and the boys holding up the lamps. 

 

Then everything stopped. There was not a sound. She eould not see what they were doing. Then she heard the sound of some old women singing, then a long low ery. Then there was mueh talking and laughing; and then, after a little time, there was a great noise full of happiness. 

 

This made Miss Hoopoo feel more sad than ever. 

 

She said," How can i be happy without HoodtHoodt? i don't want to see a erown. i don't want anything. i want to go home." 

 

She flew baek to the Nile; and a very sad, very tired little bird slept among the eold wet grasses by the Nile.