“Jeanne,” he said, “you’re a perfect puzzle.  I do wonder whether you’re half a fairy, or an angel, or a dream.  I do hope you’re not a dream when you’re in the moonlight.  But, oh dear, I cannot understand.”

“Do leave off trying to understand, Cheri,” said Jeanne, “and let us amuse ourselves.  I always love you, Cheri, whatever I am, don’t I?”

She turned towards him brightly, with such a merry smile on her face that Hugh could not help smiling too.

“Do let us go on quickly,” she said; “I do so want to see where this stair goes to.”

“Let me go first.  I’m a boy, you know, and it’s right I should go first in case of meeting anything that might frighten you,” said Hugh.

So he stepped up in front of Jeanne, and they slowly made their way.

It was impossible to go fast.  Never was there such a twisty little stair.  Here and there, too, it got darker, so that they could only just find their way, step by step.  And it really seemed as if they had climbed a very long way, when from above came faintly and softly the sound of a plaintive “mew.”  “Mew, mew,” it said again, whoever the “it” was, and then stopped.

The children looked at each other.

“Cats!” they said at the same instant.

“It’s just as well,” said Hugh, “that none of the animals did come with us, as so many of them are birds.”

Another step or two and the mystery was explained.  They had reached the top of the turret stair; it led them into a little hall, all, like the great hall below, painted white.  It looked perfectly pure and clean, as if it had only been painted the day before, and yet there was a curiously old look about it too, and a faint scent of dried rose leaves seemed to be in the air.

There was a door in this little hall, exactly opposite the top of the stair, and at each side of the door was an arm-chair, also all white, and with a white satin cushion instead of a seat.  And on each of these chairs sat a most beautiful white cat.  The only colour in the hall was the flash of their green eyes, as they turned them full on the two children.

Jeanne crept a little closer to Hugh.  But there was no reason for fear.  The cats were most amiably disposed.

“Mew!” said the one on the right-hand chair.

“Mew!” said the one on the left-hand chair.

Then they looked at each other for a moment, and at last, seeming to have made up their minds, each held out his right paw.  Something in the way they did it reminded Hugh and Jeanne of Dudu when he stood on one leg, and stuck out the other like a walking-stick.

“Mew!” they said again, both together this time.  And then in a clear, though rather mewey voice, the right-hand cat spoke to the children.

“Madame is expecting you,” he said.

The children did not know what else to say, so they said, “Thank you.”

“She has been waiting a good while,” said the left-hand cat.