“A cat, I believe; some kind of a wild-cat,” said Aunt Diana, vaguely, as her anxious eyes scanned every inch of the moat and outworks in search of the vanished niece. At length she spied a floating blue ribbon. “There they are, back in that—in that illumined thing.”
“Oh, Aunt Di! Why, that is the demi-lune.”
“Well, whatever it is, do call Iris down directly.”
I went after the delinquents, discovering after some search the little stone stairway, nicely masked by an innocent-looking wall, where was a second stone tablet containing the two dragons, their two houses, and the supply of mutton hung up below. There on the topmost grassy stair were the two young people, and had it not been for that floating blue ribbon, there they might have remained in ambush all the morning.
“Come down,” I cried, looking up, laughingly, from the foot of the stair—“come down, Iris. Aunt Di wishes you to see the escaped cat.”
“I don’t care about cats,” pouted Iris, slowly descending. “I am glad he escaped. Let him go; I do not want to see him.”
THE PROFESSOR.
“Iris,” began Aunt Di, “pray what has occupied you all this time?”
“The study of fortifications, aunt; you have no idea how interesting it is—that demi-lune.”