196 The Book of Cats. 



splendid castle, but not a man or woman was to be 

 seen. A number of hands, with no bodies to them, 

 appeared : two hands took off the Prince's cloak, 

 two others seated him in a chair, another pair 

 brought a brush to brush his hair, and several pairs 

 waited on him at supper. Then some more hands 

 came and put him to bed in a fine chamber, where 

 he slept all night, but still no one appeared. The 

 next morning, the hands brought him into a 

 splendid hall, where there sat on a throne a large 

 White Cat, who made him sit beside her, and ex- 

 pressed herself glad to see him. Next day, the 

 Prince and the White Cat went out hunting toge- 

 ther : the Cat was mounted on a fine spirited 

 monkey, and seemed very fond of the Prince, 

 who, on his part, was delighted with her wit and 

 cleverness. 



Instead of dogs. Cats hunted for them. These 

 creatures ran with great agility after rats, and 

 mice, and birds, catching and killing a great num- 

 ber of them ; and sometimes the White Cat's 

 monkey would climb a tree, with the White Cat on 

 his back, after a bird, a mouse, or a squirrel. This 

 pleasant life went on for a long time : every day 

 the White Cat became more fond of the Prince, 

 while, on his part, the Prince could not help loving 



