'tramp, tramp'
through the forest walking on snakes, every time I fought for my life I
had this secret of mine to live with."

"You had better not tell it then; it may lose its interest."

"I want it to interest you."

"It does," said Charlotte, "very much."

"Huh! You do not know what it is."

"That is why; it is much more interesting not to know."

"Ah, you are playing at me! But what I go to tell you is no joke."

"I was not laughing," she said.

"No; only 'chatter, chatter'!"

"You know where I have been?" he continued.

"I know the continent."

"Yes;--you are right; that is all anybody knows about it. Well, inside
of it there is a country as big as this Jingalo of yours; and it
belongs really to nobody. I have been all over it."

"The people are very savage, are they not?"

"Savage?--oh, no. They are very fierce and proud, and strong; they are
also the most wonderful artists. You call that to be a savage?"

"Artists?"

"Yes; look at that."

As he spoke he drew up his sleeve almost to the elbow, exposing a
sunburnt arm, smooth, fine of texture, and enormously muscular. Over its
brawny mold, with scaly convolutions elaborately tattooed, writhed a
dragon in bright indigo.

"Oh, how beautiful!" exclaimed the Princess. Marveling at the clear
intricacy of its detail, she stooped to examine it more closely.

Prince Fritz turned his arm this way and that, displaying it. He snapped
his fingers: flick went each separate muscle, the dragon became alive.

"What do you think?" he inquired, smiling with childish vanity and the
delight of feeling upon his skin the warmth of her breath.

"It is very beautiful," she murmured again, her admiration divided
between the scaly dragon's wings and the splendidly molded limb.

"I have them far more beautiful upon my legs," said the Prince.

"Dragons?"

"Yes; but oh! quite different; more--how do you say?--'bloodthirsty' you
call it? Here and here"--he went on, indicating the locality--"I have
two. One of them is climbing up and the other is climbing down; and they
are both biting on my knee-cap with their teeth--like mad."

"They must be quite wonderful."

"They are all that! When I look at them I am lost with admiration of
myself." Then he gazed speculatively into her eyes and speaking in
dull, soft tones of Teutonic sentiment, said confidentially, "If you
will marry me, you shall see them some day."

Charlotte's laughter rang loud. "Do you think I should