"She has been waiting a good while," said the left-hand cat.
"I'm very sorry to have kept her waiting," said Hugh, feeling Jeanne nudge him. "I hope she has not been waiting very long?"
"Oh no," said the right-hand cat, "not long; not above three hundred years."
Jeanne gave a start of astonishment.
"Three hundred——" "years," she was going to say, but the left-hand cat interrupted her.
"You are not to be surprised," he said, very hastily, and Jeanne could not quite make out if he was frightened or angry, or a little of both. "You must not think of being surprised. Nobody is ever surprised here."
"No one is ever surprised here," repeated the right-hand cat. "This is the Castle of Whiteness, you know. You are sure you have nothing coloured about you?" he added, anxiously.
Instinctively both the children put their hands up to their heads.
"Only our hair," they said.
"Mine's light-brown, you see," said Hugh.