ted an extremely handsome young man,
who was so like himself that it might have been his own portrait! The
White Cat sighed as he looked at it, and seemed sadder than ever, and
the Prince dared not ask any questions for fear of displeasing her; so
he began to talk about other things, and found that she was interested
in all the subjects he cared for himself, and seemed to know quite well
what was going on in the world. After supper they went into another
room, which was fitted up as a theatre, and the cats acted and danced
for their amusement, and then the White Cat said good-night to him, and
the hands conducted him into a room he had not seen before, hung with
tapestry worked with butterflies' wings of every color; there were
mirrors that reached from the ceiling to the floor, and a little white
bed with curtains of gauze tied up with ribbons. The Prince went to bed
in silence, as he did not quite know how to begin a conversation with
the hands that waited on him, and in the morning he was awakened by
a noise and confusion outside of his window, and the hands came and
quickly dressed him in hunting costume. When he looked out all the cats
were assembled in the courtyard, some leading greyhounds, some blowing
horns, for the White Cat was going out hunting. The hands led a wooden
horse up to the Prince, and seemed to expect him to mount it, at which
he was very indignant; but it was no use for him to object, for he
speedily found himself upon its back, and it pranced gaily off with him.

The White Cat herself was riding a monkey, which climbed even up to
the eagles' nests when she had a fancy for the young eaglets. Never was
there a pleasanter hunting party, and when they returned to the castle
the Prince and the White Cat supped together as before, but when they
had finished she offered him a crystal goblet, which must have contained
a magic draught, for, as soon as he had swallowed its contents, he
forgot everything, even the little dog that he was seeking for the King,
and only thought how happy he was to be with the White Cat! And so the
days passed, in every kind of amusement, until the year was nearly gone.
The Prince had forgotten all about meeting his brothers: he did not even
know what country he belonged to; but the White Cat knew when he ought
to go back, and one day she said to him:

"Do you know that you have only three days left to look for the little
dog for your father, and your brothers have found lovel