Belle and the dragon. An elfin comedy

being, provided it had a thatched roof and a banqueting hall. Without these, we would indeed be orphans of the spirit."

"If we had it on a main road, with good accommodation for bicycles, it might be made to pay."

"There is an unexplored field of poetry in the ancient, time-honored roadside inn, and the sign-post would be painted by the Dragon. After a long walk down a white road in summer, what is more pleasant than to see an old country inn far in front of you? It has a quaint and picturesque appearance; perhaps there is an orchard behind it, or a good kitchen garden; it is clean, homely, and wholesome. It exists for the accommodation of both humans and animals, unlike the gaudy London gin-palaces Ornate, brightly lit pubs common in 19th-century London., which too often exist for the degrading gratification of the beast in man. Traditions gather around it as naturally as the village history centers on the parish church. It is a model of moderation and the lawful use of nature's gifts."

"But surely there can be nothing ideal about a public house," said Melusine.

"Pardon me; if we remove all that is common and unclean, there will be a spiritual residue even in the liquor trade."

"It would not be a fit home for a great poet."

"Eminently fit, as I see it. To say nothing of the thatched roof and the banqueting hall, there

would be a vast billiard room, a prayer room in the flamboyant A late Gothic style of architecture characterized by flame-like curves. style, and a gigantic Gothic tower. I assure you it would be a 'lordly pleasure house' A reference to Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem, "The Palace of Art." where the soul might dwell forever. But a deserted chateau, like the one in The Romance of the Forest, A Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe published in 1791. might be even better; it is more mysterious and ancestral. There would be a fawn by the fountain in the garden, and a peacock under an old yew tree."

"And swans on the lake," suggested Melusine.

"Most certainly, and a swan’s nest among the reeds."

"The Castle of Udolpho Another famous Gothic novel by Ann Radcliffe (1794). is sublime, but perhaps too grim and forbidding. A decorated cottage and rose garden by the sea would nearly reach perfection. Of course, there would be a boat on the shore."

"And a ship on the sea," said the Gadfly.

"And the moan of the tide."

"And a donkey in the stable."

"But, on the whole," said the Mystic, "I propose a more radical change. To improve our surroundings on the physical side of nature will be long and difficult. It is far simpler to escape it altogether. I am the Poet Laureate of the House of Ravendale, the Magician of the Manor, Chief Mystic, and Actor. I am also the Master of the Revels, and I have long wished to do credit to my titles. If you are tired of things as they are, and if you