of patronising. "It is not very far from mine, and mamma says we can
keep all our toys and books together in my big cupboard in the passage."

Hugh looked at Jeanne for a moment without speaking. "What was that name
you called me just now, Jeanne?" he asked, after a little pause.

Jeanne thought for a minute.

"'Mon cousin,' was it that?" she said. "Oh no, I remember, it was
'chéri.' I _cannot_ say your name--I have tried all these days. I cannot
say it better than 'Ee-ou,' which is not pretty."

She screwed her rosy little mouth into the funniest shape as she tried
to manage "Hugh." Hugh could hardly help laughing.

"Never mind," he said. "I like 'chéri' ever so much better. I like it
better than 'mon cousin' or any name, because, do you know," he added,
dropping his voice a little, "I remember now, though I had forgotten
till you said it--that was the name mamma called me by."

"Chéri!" repeated Jeanne, stopping half-way up the staircase to throw
her arms round Hugh's neck at the greatest risk to the equilibrium of
the whole party, including the guinea-pig--"_Chéri!_ I shall always call
you so, then. You shall be my Prince Chéri. Don't you love fairy
stories, mon cousin?"

"_Awfully_," said Hugh, from the bottom of his soul.

[Illustration: 'ISN'T IT A FUNNY ROOM, CHÉRI?'--p. 25]