see what he was going to say. You could have heard a pin drop
while the whole court-room, the whole of Puddleby in fact, waited
with craning necks and straining ears to hear the weighty words.

"Your Honor," said the little man, "the jury returns a verdict of
NOT GUILTY."

"What's that mean?" I asked, turning to the Doctor.

But I found Doctor John Dolittle, the famous naturalist, standing
on top of a chair, dancing about on one leg like a schoolboy.

"It means he's free!" he cried, "Luke is free!"

"Then he'll be able to come on the voyage with us, won't he?"

But I could not hear his answer; for the whole court-room seemed
to be jumping up on chairs like the Doctor. The crowd had
suddenly gone crazy. All the people were laughing and calling and
waving to Luke to show him how glad they were that he was free.
The noise was deafening.

Then it stopped. All was quiet again; and the people stood up
respectfully while the judge left the Court. For the trial of
Luke the Hermit, that famous trial which to this day they are
still talking of in Puddleby, was over.

In the hush while the judge was leaving, a sudden shriek rang
out, and there, in the doorway stood a woman, her arms
out-stretched to the Hermit.