d
passages, which were the abodes of dragons, evil spirits, 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 with a critical gaze.

"All right," said the Very Imp; "he can go around, and pick out his
previous existence. We have here all sorts of vile creepers,
crawlers, hissers, and snorters. I suppose he thinks any thing will
be better than a Bee-man."

"It is not because I want to be better than I am," said the Bee-man,
"that I started out on this search. I have simply an honest desire to
become what I originally was."

"Oh! that is it, is it?" said the other. "There is an idiotic
moon-calf here with a clam head, which must be just like what you
used to be."

"Nonsense," said the Bee-man. "You have not the least idea what an
honest purpose is. I