WHAT THE BROWN BEETLE SAW. 23

huge creature stood within to gobble him up at
the first step he took.

So the brown beetle disappeared through
the hole in one corner of the rocky wall, and
the dragon-fly, flippant creature that she was,
sported in the sunlight, flirting her delicate
wings, and skimming about, with no regret at
having used her arts to persuade the honest
brown beetle to gratify her idle curiosity.

Some minutes passed, and the dragon-fly
was becoming impatient at the delay, when the
brown beetle reappeared.

“ The gnats were right,” he said, “there is a
second wall of thick stone, behind which it is
impossible to go, and where the gnomes are at
work.”

“Is that all thou hast discovered ?” demand-
ed the blue dragon-fly in a disappointed tone.
“Tt appears that the gnats were not the only
stupid ones.”

The brown beetle took no notice of the rude-
ness of this remark, but went on with his story:

“Creeping as closely to the wall as I could,
I listened with all my might. At first, the
voices sounded indistinct and afar off, and the
regular click of their hammers (for | am sure