, apparently, with anything particular to say.

"Well, Cheri," she said, merrily, "you are rather late this morning.
Have you slept well?"

Hugh looked at her; there was no mischief in her face; she simply meant
what she said. In his astonishment, Hugh rubbed his eyes and then stared
at her again.

"Jeanne," he said, quite bewildered.

"Well, Cheri," she repeated, "what is the matter? How funny you look!"
and in her turn Jeanne seemed surprised.

Hugh looked round; old Marcelline had left the room.

"Jeanne," he said, "it is so queer to see you just the same as usual,
with nothing to say about it all."

"About all what?" said Jeanne, seemingly more and more puzzled.

"About our adventures--the drive in the carriage, with Houpet as
coachman, and the stair down to the frog's country, and the frogs and
the boat, and the concert, and O Jeanne! the song of the swan."

Jeanne opened wide her eyes.

"Cheri!" she said, "you've been dreaming all these funny things."

Hugh was so hurt and disappointed that he nearly began to cry.

"O Jeanne," he said, "it is very unkind to say that," and he turned away
quite chilled and perplexed.

Jeanne ran after him and threw her arms round his neck.

"Cheri, Cheri," she said, "I didn't mean to vex you, but I _don't_
understand."

Hugh looked into her dark eyes with his earnest blue ones.

"Jeanne," he said, "don't you remember _any_ of it--don't you remember
the trees changing their colours so prettily?--don't you remember the
frogs' banquet?"

Jeanne stared at him so earnestly that she quite frowned.

"I think--I think," she said, and then she stopped. "When you say that
of the trees, I think I did see rainbow colours all turning into each
other. I think, Cheri, part of me was there and part not; can there be
two of me, I wonder? But please, Cheri, don't ask me any more. It
puzzles me so, and then perhaps I may say something to vex you. Let us
play at our day games now, Cheri, and never mind about the other things.
But if you go anywhere else like that, ask the fairies to take me too,
for I always like to be with you, you know, Cheri."

So they kissed and made friends. But still it seemed very queer to Hugh.
Till now Jeanne had always been eager to talk about the tapestry castle,
and full of fancies about Dudu and Houpet and the rest of the animals,
and anxious to hear Hugh's dreams. Now she seemed perfectly content with
her every-day world, delighted with a new and be