CHAPTER VIII.
CASTLE DANGEROUS AND THE VANISHING STAIRS.

JHE four lovely sisters seemed to float rather than to
walk.

Silver-wings, whose white dress was more dazzling
and beautiful than Dragon-flower’s many-coloured
and Poppy’s rose-tinted robe, looked earnestly from
one face to the other, as the children walked down-
stairs to the baths.

Moonlight ran on in front, and while Dragon-
flower was filling the baths, the children saw this
graver sister preparing delightful little beds in a
room just beyond. Brilliant sunshine and daylight
filled every other crevice of the Castle, but in this room it was still
night, and the children noticed with pleasure that Moonlight shook
up pillows and turned down sheets on pretty white beds in this dim
soothing room.

Poppy helped her as she did this.

“Flere are the baths,” said Dragon-flower. “ You never bathed
in water like this before. See how it sparkles. It is warm and
comforting, and when you wash in it you will forget all your fatigue,
and come out quite fresh and very beautiful. Undress, undress all of
you, my dears, and get into your lovely baths. Come, Silver-wings,
why are you standing there doing nothing? Come and help me to
undress these dear children, and remove their ugly, torn and dirty
clothes. We will put some of our own clothes on them when they
come out of the baths.”