know?'

'There isn't any princess,' said Mr. Noah.

'Then it won't be a proper dragon-killing,' she said, with an angry
shaking of skirts; 'that's all I can say.'

'I wish it _was_ all,' said Mr. Noah to himself.

'If there isn't a princess it isn't fair,' said the veiled one; 'and I
shall consider it's my turn to be Deliverer.'

'Be silent, woman,' said Mr. Noah.

'Woman, indeed,' said the lady. 'I ought to have a proper title.'

'Your title is the Pretender to the----'

'I know,' she interrupted; 'but you forget you're speaking to a lady.
You can call me the Pretenderette.'

Mr. Noah turned coldly from her and pressed two Roman candles and a box
of matches into Philip's hand.

'When you have arranged your plans and are quite sure that you will be
able to kill the dragon, light one of these. We will then have a
princess in readiness, and on observing your signal will tie her to a
tree, or, since this is a district where trees are rare and buildings
frequent, to a pillar. She will be perfectly safe if you make your plans
correctly. And in any case you must not attempt to deal with the dragon
without first lighting the Roman candle.'

'And the dragon will see it and go away.'

'Exactly,' said Mr. Noah. 'Or perhaps he will see it and not go away.
Time alone will show. The task that is without difficulties can never
really appeal to a hero. You will find weapons, cords, nets, shields and
various first aids to the young dragon-catcher in the vaults below this
tower. Good evening, Sir Philip,' he ended warmly. 'We wish you every
success.'

And with that the whole crowd began to go away.

'_I_ know who you ought to have for princess,' the Pretenderette said as
they went. And Mr. Noah said:

'Silence in court.'

'This isn't a court,' said the Pretenderette aggravatingly.

'Wherever justice is, is a court,' said Mr. Noah, 'and I accuse you of
contempt of it. Guards, arrest this person and take her to prison at
once.'

There was a scuffling and a shrieking and then the voices withdrew
gradually, the angry voice of even the Pretenderette growing fainter
and fainter till it died away altogether.

Philip was left alone.

His first act was to go up to the top of the tower and look out to see
if he could see the dragon. He looked east and north and south and west,
and he saw the ramparts of the fort where Mr. Noah and the others were
now safely bestowed. He saw also other towers and cities in the
distance