18 THE FAIRY-FOLK OF THE BLUE HILL.

placing his ear against the rocky door, a con-
fused murmur of tiny voices reached him, and,
ere long, the sharp and regular click of two
hard substances struck together was heard.
The brown beetle wondered if the gnomes
would always remain in their underground
home as the little man in gray had commanded
them to do, or whether they would roam over
the country as they
had done, and as the
giants did. While

 
  
 
 
 
 
  
  

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these thoughts were passing through
the beetle’s mind, a swift whirring
of wings attracted his attention, and a beautiful
blue dragon-fly alighted on a stone near by.
‘The blue dragon-fly had a haughty manner,
and was attended by a swarm of gnats, whose
business it was to wait on her and obey her
slightest whim. Not deigning to notice the

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