ns were finished, the flames were all but out, and
the company withdrew to the drawing-room. Only Harry lingered.

"Come along, Harry," said the hot-tempered gentleman.

"Wait a minute," said Harry.

"You had better come," said the gentleman.

"Why?" said Harry.

"There's nothing to stop for. The raisins are eaten, the brandy is
burnt out--"

"No, it's not," said Harry.

"Well, almost. It would be better if it were quite out. Now come. It's
dangerous for a boy like you to be alone with the Snap-Dragons
to-night."

"Fiddle-sticks!" said Harry.

"Go your own way, then!" said the hot-tempered gentleman; and he
bounced out of the room, and Harry was left alone.

DANCING WITH THE DRAGONS.

He crept up to the table, where one little pale blue flame flickered
in the snap-dragon dish.

"What a pity it should go out!" said Harry. At this moment the
brandy-bottle on the sideboard caught his eye.

"Just a little more," muttered Harry to himself; and he uncorked the
bottle, and poured a little brandy on to the flame.

Now of course, as soon as the brandy touched the fire, all the brandy
in the bottle blazed up at once, and the bottle split to pieces; and
it was very fortunate for Harry that he did not get seriously hurt. A
little of the hot brandy did get into his eyes, and made them smart,
so that he had to shut them for a few seconds.

But when he opened them again, what a sight he saw! All over the room
the blue flames leaped and danced as they had leaped and danced in the
soup-plate with the raisins. And Harry saw that each successive flame
was the fold in the long body of a bright blue Dragon, which moved
like the body of a snake. And the room was full of these Dragons. In
the face they were like the dragons one sees made of very old blue and
white china; and they had forked tongues, like the tongues of
serpents. They were most beautiful in colour, being sky-blue. Lobsters
who have just changed their coats are very handsome, but the violet
and indigo of a lobster's coat is nothing to the brilliant sky-blue of
a Snap-Dragon.

How they leaped about! They were for ever leaping over each other like
seals at play. But if it was "play" at all with them, it was of a very
rough kind; for as they jumped, they snapped and barked at each
other, and their barking was like that of the barking Gnu in the
Zoological Gardens; and from time to time they tore the hair out of
each other's heads with their claws, and scatt