from beginning to end. And anyhow I'm not going to, so that
settles it!"

"But supposing I make you?" said St. George, rather nettled.

"You can't," said the dragon, triumphantly. "I should only go
into my cave and retire for a time down the hole I came up.
You'd soon get heartily sick of sitting outside and waiting
for me to come out and fight you. And as soon as you'd really
gone away, why, I'd come up again gaily, for I tell you frankly,
I like this place, and I'm going to stay here!"

St. George gazed for a while on the fair landscape around them.
"But this would be a beautiful place for a fight," he began again
persuasively. "These great bare rolling Downs for the arena,--
and me in my golden armour showing up against your big blue scaly
coils! Think what a picture it would make!"

"Now you're trying to get at me through my artistic
sensibilities," said the dragon. "But it won't work. Not but
what it would make a very pretty picture, as you say," he added,
wavering a little.

"We seem to be getting rather nearer to BUSINESS," put in the
Boy. "You must see, dragon, that there's got to be a fight
of some sort, 'cos you can't want to have to go down that dirty
old hole again and stop there till goodness knows when."

"It might be arranged," said St. George, thoughtfully. "I
MUST spear you somewhere, of course, but I'm not bound to hurt