m under the
heap. The children were a long time dragging him out, for he pelted them
with cushions, and crumpled the newspapers over their heads, till they
were so tired with laughing and struggling they had no strength left.

"Father, it isn't fair, I don't think," said Milly at last, sitting a
breathless heap on the floor. "Of course little people can't _make_ big
people do things, so the big people ought to do them without making."

"That's not at all good reasoning, Milly," said Mr. Norton, who could
not resist the temptation of throwing one more sofa cushion at her
laughing face. "You can't _make_ nurse stand on her head, but that's no
reason why nurse should stand on her head."

Just then Olly, moving up a stool behind his father's chair, brought his
little mouth suddenly down on his father's head, and gave him three
kisses in a great hurry, with a shout of triumph at the end.

"Dear me!" said Mr. Norton, shutting his eyes and falling back as if
something had happened to him. "This is very serious. Aunt Emma, that
spell of yours is really _too_ strong. My poor head! It will certainly
burst if I don't get this story out directly! Come, jump up,
children--quick!"

Up jumped the children, one on each knee, and Mr. Norton began at once.

CHAPTER VIII

THE STORY OF BEOWULF

Once upon a time there was a great--"

"Father," interrupted Milly, "I shall soon be getting tired of 'Once
upon a time there was a great king.'"

"Don't cry till you're hurt, Milly; which means, wait till I get to the
end of my sentence. Well, once upon a time there was a great--hero."

"What is a hero?" asked Olly.

"I know," said Milly, eagerly, "it's a brave man that's always fighting
and killing giants and dragons and cruel people."

"That'll do to begin with," said Mr. Norton, "though, when you grow
older, you will find that people can be heroes without fighting or
killing. However, the man I am going to tell you about was just the kind
of hero you're thinking of, Milly. He loved fighting with giants and
dragons and wild people, and my story is going to be about two of his
fights--the greatest he ever fought. The name of this hero was Beowulf,
and he lived in a country called Sweden (Milly knows all about Sweden,
Olly, and you must get her to show it you on the map), with a number of
other brave men who were his friends, and helped him in his battles. And
one day a messenger came over the sea from another country close b