e, of course, but I'm not bound to hurt you very much. There's
such a lot of you that there must be a few spare places somewhere. Here,
for instance, just behind your foreleg. It couldn't hurt you much, just
here!"

"Now you 're tickling, George," said the dragon, coyly. "No, that
place won't do at all. Even if it didn't hurt,--and I'm sure it would,
awfully,--it would make me laugh, and that would spoil everything."

"Let's try somewhere else, then," said St. George, patiently. "Under
your neck, for instance,--all these folds of thick skin,--if I speared
you here you 'd never even know I 'd done it!"

"Yes, but are you sure you can hit off the right place?" asked the
dragon, anxiously.

"Of course I am," said St. George, with confidence. "You leave that to
me!"

"It's just because I've got to leave it to you that I'm asking," replied
the dragon, rather testily. "No doubt you would deeply regret any error
you might make in the hurry of the moment; but you wouldn't regret
it half as much as I should! However, I suppose we've got to trust
somebody, as we go through life, and your plan seems, on the whole, as
good a one as any."

"Look here, dragon," interrupted the Boy, a little jealous on behalf of
his friend, who seemed to be getting all the worst of the bargain: "I
don't quite see where you come in! There's to be a fight, apparently,
and you're to be licked; and what I want to know is, what are you going
to get out of it?"

"St. George," said the dragon, "Just tell him, please,--what will happen
after I'm vanquished in the deadly combat?"

"Well, according to the rules I suppose I shall lead you in triumph down
to the market-place or whatever answers to it," said St. George.

"Precisely," said the dragon. "And then--"

"And then there'll be shoutings and speeches and things," continued St.
George. "And I shall explain that you're converted, and see the error of
your ways, and so on."

"Quite so," said the dragon. "And then--?"

"Oh, and then--" said St. George, "why, and then there will be the usual
banquet, I suppose."

"Exactly," said the dragon; "and that's where I come in. Look here," he
continued, addressing the Boy, "I'm bored to death up here, and no one
really appreciates me. I'm going into Society, I am, through the
kindly aid of our friend here, who's taking such a lot of trouble on
my account; and you'll find I've got all the qualities to endear me
to people who entertain! So now that's all