ted spine, formidable talons, and restless tail. The colour of its
scales was extraordinarily rich, ranging from deepest purple and azure
through vivid green to orange and pale yellow, and fully justified King
Sidney in remarking--from a safe distance--that "it appeared to be in
very good condition."

But there was no doubt about its tameness. It suffered Ruby, who showed
no fear of it whatever, to stroke it on its plated beak, and even to
scratch it behind its bristly ears, with every sign of satisfaction.

"Ruby!" shrieked the horrified Queen, "come away at _once_! I'm sure it
isn't safe to tease that dreadful thing!"

"I'm _not_ teasing him, Mummy," replied Ruby, whose eccentric _penchant_
for reptiles was now being gratified beyond her wildest dreams. "He
_loves_ being tickled. Can't you hear him purring?"

As the noise the brute was making would have drowned that of the most
powerful dynamo, the question was almost unnecessary. Count Ruprecht
next made his dragon exhibit the few accomplishments it had learnt,
which were of the simplest, consisting in sitting up, rolling over and
shamming death, and reviving to utter three terrific snorts, supposed to
be loyal cheers, all at the proper word of command. He concluded by
mounting its back and riding it several times round the enclosure, after
which he lay between its forepaws, while it licked his face with its
huge flickering forked tongue.

"Capital!" cried Clarence, apparently unimpressed, though he did not
venture very near the beast. "You've only to teach it to jump through a
hoop, and you'd make quite a decent Music-hall 'turn' together. What do
you feed it on, eh? Sop--or canary-seed?"

To which the Count did not vouchsafe any reply.

"I've been most interested, I'm sure, my dear Count," said the Queen,
after he had chained it up again. "And it's quite a thing to have
seen--once. But we really can't allow you to go on keeping such a
creature as that--_can_ we, Sidney?"

"Certainly not, my love," said the King. "It's against the law, you
know, Count, against the law."

"Is it, your Majesty?" said the Count. "I--I had no idea of that--no one
ever told me so!"

"Well, it _is_, you know. You must put an end to it--have it destroyed.
Painlessly, if you like, but--well, you've got to get rid of it
somehow."

"In your own interest, Count," urged the Queen. "Just think how
unpopular you would be with your neighbours if it broke loose!"

"I should not like