Flanders I should find a real dragon here," he
continued, raging up and down, and giving to the young lady no part of
his attention. She began to fear he was not thinking of her.

"Geoffrey----" she ventured.

"They swore it. They had invited me to hunt a dragon with them in
Flanders,--Count Faux Pas and his Walloons. We hunted day and night,
and the quest was barren. They then directed me to this island of
Britain, in which they declared a dragon might be found by any man who
so desired. They lied in their throats. I have come leagues for
nothing." Here he looked viciously at the distant hide of the
crocodile. "But I shall slay the monk," he added. "A masquerading
caitiff! Lying varlets! And all for nothing! The monk shall die,
however."

"Have you come for nothing, Geoffrey?" murmured Elaine.

"Three years have I been seeking dragons in all countries, chasing
deceit over land and sea. And now once more my dearest hope falls
empty and stale. Why, what's this?" A choking sound beside him stopped
the flow of his complaints.

"Oh, Geoffrey,--oh, miserable me!" The young lady was dissolved in
tears.

"Elaine--dearest--don't."

"You said you had come for n--nothing, and it was all st--stale."

"Ha, I am a fool, indeed! But it was the Dragon, dearest. I had made
so sure of an honest one in this adventure."

"Oh, oh!" went Miss Elaine, with her head against his shoulder.

"There, there! You're sweeter than all the dragons in the world, my
little girl," said he. And although this does not appear to be a great
compliment, it comforted her wonderfully in the end; for he said it in
her ear several times without taking his lips away. "Yes," he
continued, "I was a fool. By your father's own word you're mine. I
have caught the Dragon. Come, my girl! We'll down to the refectory
forthwith and denounce him."

With this, he seized Elaine's hand and hastily made for the stairs.

"But hold, Geoffrey, hold! Oh--I am driven to act not as maidens
should," sighed Elaine. "He it is who ought to do the thinking. But,
dear me! he does not know how. Do you not see we should both be lost,
were you to try any such wild plan?"

"Not at all. Your father would give you to me."

"Oh, no, no, Geoffrey; indeed, papa would not. His promise was about a
dragon. A live or a dead dragon must be brought to him. Even if he
believed you now, even if that dreadful Father Anselm could not invent
some lie to put us in the wrong, you and I could n