The Tapestry Room: A Child's Romance

cattish gesture

affair they'd c

les

han as if he had seen and heard them, or as if they had happened to some one else. Whenever he saw Dudu and Houpet and the rest of the pets, he looked at them at first in a half dreamy way, wondering if they too were puzzled about it all, or if, being really fairies, they did not find anything to puzzle them! The only person (for, after all, he could often not prevent himself from looking upon all the animals as persons)-the only

in bed Marcelline came in as usual befo

t for a good while Marcel

there has not,"

ming back soon

he old nurse. She had a funny way of somet

other day that I hadn't half seen the tapestry castle, and I want very much to see it, Marcelline, only I'd like Jeanne to be with me; for I don't think I could tell her we

s leaning on the pillow, and looking up in the old woman's fac

Monsieur Hugh, and it's different for her. But it doesn't matter-the days bring their own pleasures and interests, which the moonlig

arcelline, better than anybody. It must be as I said; there

ine; "and the great thing is to keep

turning away with the light in he

me again soon, Marcelline? Do

said the old nurse, "you s

nevertheless obliged to shut his eyes and go to

s after there came

a cap and little knitted shawl of Marcelline's, Hugh with a blouse and cotton nightcap, so that Jeanne's mother quite jumped at first sight of the quaint little figures. Then Jeanne dressed up like a fairy, and pretended to turn Hugh into a guinea-pig, and they got Nibble up into the nursery, and Hugh hid in a cupboard, and tried to make his voice so

ever so long," said Hugh; "I shall

rcelline, with a smile, as

without dreaming or starting in the least, for-dear me, I don't know for how long!-any way it must have been for several hours, when-in the strange sudden way in which once or twice before it ha

have got for you." And there before him stood little Jeanne-but Jeanne as he had never seen her before. She seemed all glistening and shining-her dress was of some kind of sparkling white, and round her waist was a lovely silver girdle-her sleeves too we

azed a

nd in the middle of the night? oh how fu

," she said, "and I'll make you pretty too. Only

. At first he thought it was some kind of black silk hood or cap, such as he had seen worn by some of the peasants in Switzerland, but looking again-no, it was nothing of the kind-the head-dress had a head of its own, and as Hug

exclai

ou didn't suppose we could h

sitting up in bed by this time,

"where we've been wishing so to go, though

it was his room was so bright. Yes, it was streaming in, in a beautiful flood, and the tape

hese for me?" he said, touchin

Much nicer than your wall-climbers, Chéri. I

y were so light that Hugh was hardly conscious of them, and yet he could move them about-backwards and forwards, swiftly or slowly, just as he

. "I don't care for myself-boys never care about being grandl

you're not ready yet. I'm going

ing his eyes again at Jeanne's bidding, saw, to his amazement, that he too was now dressed in the same pretty shin

TMAS ANGE

You don't know how nice you look. Now, Dudu we'

d, they all flew up the wall together, and found themselves standing on the castle terrace. There was

asleep?"

time. "They lead a monotonous life, you see

de was perfectly different. A very large white-painted hall was revealed to them. The ceiling was arched, and looking up, it seemed so very high, that it gave one more the feeling of being the sky than

ad closed noiselessly, and when they turned to see the way by which they had come in, no sign o

ver get out aga

ne only

I see no way out of this hall, and though it's rather nice, it's not very amusing. Dudu, I wish you would sit still-you keep g

do say such foolish things sometimes that it is impossible to restrain one's feelings a

t to everywhere, or a

her life, you don't stand still at one end and say, 'Dudu, how am I to get to the other?' You move your fee

But you see, Dudu, we're accustomed to having feet, and to run

temptuous, and Hugh gave a l

et off,"

we to go to?"

. "Really," he said agai

nne. "You're going to steer us, I suppose, on

form was only vaguely seen. But whether it was daylight or what, the children did not know, and perhaps it did not occur to them to think. They just flew softly on, till suddenly Dudu veered to one side and stopped them in front of a low carved door with a step be

or fear it should make you giddy.

ehaved doors in the tapestry palace-closed behind them. And what the children now

"I will leave you.

tle shake; she seemed not altogether sorry to be freed from her head-dr

. "But you might take a turn on Chéri's for a change.

eak so coolly to the raven-she who in their daylight life was so frightened of him that she woul

have come with us so far," he said. "We could never

t seem offended. "Good-bye," he said, "and if you're in any

d it, their looks met each other in astonishment-

as of going off all of

we to do now

rse, till we find where t

our wings," said Hugh. "The stai

de an exc

. "Why, Chéri, yo

e yours!"

and turned round to look at their shoul

said Jeanne. "

going to need them again; and really, Jeanne, the more I think of it the

have got up it with Dudu on my head. But let's g

's a very queer place. I wish Dudu, or H

spiral staircase. So narrow it was, that

ircase down to the frogs

d at her t

said. "I believe it was just pretence you

oonlight Jeanne, now-when we were having the dolls' feast I was d

g particularly-how is it that in the moon-time you remember abo

r. And lots of things would be quite spoilt if you took them into the regular da

ve-though, looking up the spiral stair, its top seemed lost in gloom-fell on her pretty little face. Her hair had fallen back over her shoulders and lay dark on

're half a fairy, or an angel, or a dream. I do hope you're not a dr

aid Jeanne, "and let us amuse ourselves. I al

th such a merry smile on her face t

he said; "I do so want to se

's right I should go first in case of meeting

ont of Jeanne, and the

could only just find their way, step by step. And it really seemed as if they had climbed a very long way, when from abov

n looked at

said at the

at none of the animals did come wit

ll, all, like the great hall below, painted white. It looked perfectly pure and clean, as if it had only been painted the day

air, also all white, and with a white satin cushion instead of a seat. And on each of these chairs sat a most beautiful

. But there was no reason for fear.

e one on the r

e one on the l

minds, each held out his right paw. Something in the way they did it reminded Hugh and

e. And then in a clear, though rather mewey vo

expecting y

ow what else to say, so

g a good while," sai

" said Hugh, feeling Jeanne nudge him. "I

and cat, "not long; not a

a start of a

e was going to say, but the l

not quite make out if he was frightened or angry, or a little of both.

t. "This is the Castle of Whiteness, you know. You are sure

children put their ha

hair," t

-brown, you s

the cats, both speaking together this t

ou must never mention such a word. Your hair, Madem

k. Hugh felt himself bound to defend

said to the cats; "your eyes

nt," said the righ

we to know tha

," said the l

e?" said Hugh, who didn't feel

f we tried," said the

as as if some one had moved a piece

heel," said the left-ha

ors" I should almost say, for it was a double-hinged one, opening in the middle, and the funny thing about it was that one side opened outwar