The Book of Dragons - The Original Classic Edition. Nesbit Edith

everything he said was right, and that he couldn't possibly make a mistake. So when he said: "There is to be a law forbidding people to open books in schools or elsewhere"--he had the support of at least half of his subjects, and the other half--the grown-up half--pretended to think he was quite right.

       Then he made a law that everyone should always have[11] enough to eat. And this pleased everyone except the ones who had always had too much.

       And when several other nice new laws were made and written down he went home and made mud-houses and was very happy. And

       he said to his Nurse: "People will love me now I've made such a lot of pretty new laws for them." But Nurse said: "Don't count your chickens, my dear. You haven't seen the last of that Dragon yet."

       Now, the next day was Saturday. And in the afternoon the Dragon suddenly swooped down upon the common in all his hideous redness, and carried off the Soccer Players, umpires, goal-posts, ball, and all.

       Then the people were very angry indeed, and they said: "We might as well be a Republic. After saving up all these years to get his

       crown, and everything!"

       And wise people shook their heads and foretold a decline in the National Love of Sport. And, indeed, soccer was not at all popular for some time afterward.

       Lionel did his best to be a good King during the week, and the people were beginning to forgive him for letting the Dragon out of

       the book. "After all," they said, "soccer is a dangerous game, and perhaps it is wise to discourage it."

       Popular opinion held that the Soccer Players, being tough and hard, had disagreed with the Dragon so much that he had gone away to some place where they only play cats' cradle and games that do not make you hard and tough.

       All the same, Parliament met on the Saturday afternoon, a convenient time, for most of the Members would be free to attend, to consider the Dragon. But unfortunately the Dragon, who had only been asleep, woke up because it was Saturday, and he considered the Parliament, and afterwards there were not any Members left, so they tried to make a new Parliament, but being a member of Parliament had somehow grown as unpopular as soccer playing, and no one would consent to be[12] elected, so they had to do without

       a Parliament. When the next Saturday came around everyone was a little nervous, but the Red Dragon was pretty quiet that day and only ate an Orphanage.

       Lionel was very, very unhappy. He felt that it was his disobedience that had brought this trouble on the Parliament and the Orphanage and the Soccer Players, and he felt that it was his duty to try and do something. The question was, what?

       The Blue Bird that had come out of the book used to sing very nicely in the Palace rose garden, and the Butterfly was very tame, and would perch on his shoulder when he walked among the tall lilies: so Lionel saw that all the creatures in The Book of Beasts could not be wicked, like the Dragon, and he thought: "Suppose I could get another beast out who would fight the Dragon?"

       So he took The Book of Beasts out into the rose garden and opened the page next to the one where the Dragon had been just a

       tiny bit to see what the name was. He could only see "cora," but he felt the middle of the page swelling up thick with the creature

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       that was trying to come out, and it was only by putting the book down and sitting on it suddenly, very hard, that he managed to get

       it shut. Then he fastened the clasps with the rubies and turquoises in them and sent for the Chancellor, who had been ill since Satur-

       day, and so had not been eaten with the rest of the Parliament, and he said: "What animal ends in 'cora'?" The Chancellor answered: "The Manticora, of course."

       "What is he like?" asked the King.

       "He is the sworn foe of Dragons," said the Chancellor. "He drinks their blood. He is yellow, with the body of a lion and the face of a man. I wish we had a few Manticoras here now. But the last died hundreds of years ago--worse luck!"

       Then the King ran and opened the book at the page that had "cora" on it, and there was the picture--Manticora, all yellow, with a lion's body and a man's face, just as the[13] Chancellor had said. And under the picture was written, "Manticora."

       In a few minutes the Manticora came sleepily out of the book, rubbing its eyes with its hands and mewing piteously. It seemed very stupid, and when Lionel gave it a push and said, "Go along and fight the Dragon, do," it put its tail between its legs and fairly ran away. It went and hid behind the Town Hall, and at night when the people were asleep it went around and ate all the pussy-cats in the town. And then it mewed more than ever. And on the Saturday morning, when people were a little timid about going out, because

       the Dragon had no regular hour for calling, the Manticora went up and down the streets and drank all the milk that was left in the cans at the doors for people's teas, and it ate the cans as well.

       And just when it had finished the very last little halfpenny worth, which was short measure, because the milkman's nerves were quite

       upset, the Red Dragon came down the street looking for the Manticora. It edged off when it saw him coming, for it was not at all the Dragon-fighting kind; and, seeing no other door open, the poor, hunted creature took refuge in the General Post Office, and there the Dragon found it, trying to conceal itself among the ten o'clock mail. The Dragon fell on the Manticora at once, and the mail was no defense. The mewings were heard all over the town. All the kitties and the milk the Manticora had had seemed to have strengthened its mew wonderfully. Then there was a sad silence, and presently the people whose windows looked that way saw the Dragon come walking down the steps of the General Post Office spitting fire and smoke, together with tufts of Manticora fur, and the fragments of the registered letters. Things were growing very serious. However popular the King might become during the week, the Dragon was sure to do something on Saturday to upset the people's loyalty.[14]

       "The Manticora took refuge in the General Post Office."

       See page 13.

       The Dragon was a perfect nuisance for the whole of Saturday, except during the hour of noon, and then he had[15] to rest under a

       tree or he would have caught fire from the heat of the sun. You see, he was very hot to begin with.

       At last came a Saturday when the Dragon actually walked into the Royal nursery and carried off the King's own pet Rocking Horse. Then the King cried for six days, and on the seventh he was so tired that he had to stop. He heard the Blue Bird singing among the roses and saw the Butterfly fluttering among the lilies, and he said: "Nurse, wipe my face, please. I am not going to cry any more."

       Nurse washed his face, and told him not to be a silly little King. "Crying," said she, "never did anyone any good yet."

       "I don't know," said the little King, "I seem to see better, and to hear better now that I've cried for a week. Now, Nurse, dear, I know

       I'm right, so kiss me in case I never come back. I must try to see if I can't save the people." "Well, if you must, you must," said Nurse, "but don't tear your clothes or get your feet wet." So off he went.

       The Blue Bird sang more sweetly than ever, and the Butterfly shone more brightly, as Lionel once more carried The Book of Beasts out into the rose garden, and opened it--very quickly, so that he might not be afraid and change his mind. The book fell open wide, almost in the middle, and there was written at the bottom of the page, "Hippogriff," and before Lionel had time to see what the picture was, there was a fluttering of great wings and a stamping of hoofs, and a sweet, soft, friendly neighing; and there came out of the book a beautiful white horse with a long, long, white mane and a long, long, white tail, and he had great wings like swan's wings, and the softest, kindest eyes in the world, and he stood there among the roses.

       The Hippogriff rubbed its silky-soft, milky white nose against the little King's shoulder, and the little King thought: "But for the

       wings you are very like my poor, dear lost Rocking Horse." And the Blue Bird's song was very loud and sweet.[16]

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       Then suddenly the King saw coming through the sky the great straggling, sprawling,