rew by the side of the path.

The Bee-man scrambled to his feet, and ran as fast as he could to the
place where he had hidden his hive and his old doublet.

"If I am certain of anything," he thought, "it is that I was never a
person who would kick a poor old man. I will leave this place. I was
transformed from nothing that I see here."

He now traveled for a day or two longer, and then he came to a great
black mountain, near the bottom of which was an opening like the mouth
of a cave.

[Illustration: "HE WAS EXTREMELY LIVELY AND ACTIVE, AND CAME BOUNDING
TOWARD THEM"]

This mountain he had heard was filled with caverns and underground
passages, which were the abodes of dragons, evil spirits, and horrid
creatures of all kinds.

"Ah me!" said the Bee-man with a sigh, "I suppose I ought to visit this
place. If I am going to do this thing properly, I should look on all
sides of the subject, and I may have been one of those horrid creatures
myself."

Thereupon he went to the mountain, and as he approached the opening of
the passage which led into its inmost recesses, he saw, sitting upon the
ground, and leaning his back against a tree, a Languid Youth.

"Good-day," said this individual when he saw the Bee-man. "Are you going
inside?"

"Yes," said the Bee-man, "that is what I intend to do."

"Then," said the Languid Youth, slowly rising to his feet, "I think I
will go with you. I was told that if I went in there I should get my
energies toned up, and they need it very much; but I did not feel equal
to entering by myself, and I thought I would wait until some one came
along. I am very glad to see you, and we will go in together."

So the two went into the cave, and they had proceeded but a short
distance when they met a very little creature, whom it was easy to
recognize as a Very Imp. He was about two feet high, and resembled in
color a freshly polished pair of boots. He was extremely lively and
active, and came bounding toward them.

"What did you two people come here for?" he asked.

"I came," said the Languid Youth, "to have my energies toned up."

"You have come to the right place," said the Very Imp. "We will tone you
up. And what does that old Bee-man want?"

"He has been transformed from something, and wants to find out what it
is. He thinks he may have been one of the things in here."

"I should not wonder if that were so," said the Very Imp, rolling his
head on one side, and eying the Bee-man wi