And they laughed and laughed and laughed some more, untilBell stood up on his tiny hind legs and turned to William andasked, "Now?"

"Now," he said.

Then something happened. Bell had been the color of theoakwood table, but now he was dark, red-green in color andseemed slightly larger than he had been. He opened his mouth,and a tiny spark came out of it.

Then he was bigger than the package he had come out of. Hewas twice as big as he had been only a moment before. He openedhis mouth again, and the king drew back away from the flamethat emerged.

Then Bell was as big as a man, and the platters rattled asthey fell upon the floor, pushed away from him while he grew.

And he kept growing. He grew and he grew, until the tablebroke in half beneath him. He grew until he filled half thegreat banquet hall.

He opened his mouth and roared with a sound like thunder.Flames shot forth from the windows of the palace and lighted upthe courtyard outside. Tapestries were scorched. Women screamedand backed against the wall. Seven knights fainted, and thecaptain of the King's Guard ran and hid himself behind thethrone.

William felt something crawling across his foot, and helooked down under what was left of the table. The first threeadvisers were crouched there, shivering.

"Well?" he asked them. "Yes, it is a very good dragon,"answered the first.

"Only it is not a medium-sized one," said the second.

"No, it is a large, economy-sized dragon," said the third.

"He was the best I could manage on such short notice,"said William, smiling.

The king pushed the princess behind his back and stoodfacing the dragon.

"My, you're a big one," he said. "Please do be carefulwith those flames. There are expensive tapestries and people