It was a terrible position. The goblin and the hornet glared at one another as fiercely as two ladies, who have got on the same patterned frocks. It was one of those moments when you could no more tell the hour by blowing thistle-down than attempt to make snowballs out of hoar frost. KIPPER was the first to recover his presence of mind. "What do you want here?" he shouted to the hornet with all the virtuous force which he could put into a voice not naturally bass. "What do you want here?" he repeated, more angrily; and, nearly cracking his organ of speech, he screamed, with a superb air of command, "Be off, you rascal! I say, be off!" The giant hornet smiled in that sort of way which gives an honest ladybird the creeps, as he growled, "What do I want? That girl!"--and he pointed to the terrified EGLANTINE. "I'll teach her to interfere in my business. I've no quarrel with you, KIPPER, so I strongly advise you to mount your old horny-head" (here the stag-beetle said a rude remark to himself), "get out of my way, and let me do my will." "Never!" cried KIPPER, drawing his fine sword-grass blade. "Come on!" "O! KIPPER, dear KIPPER, don't risk your life for me," sighed EGLANTINE; "please don't." "Keep quiet!" muttered KIPPER, testily. "Why do women always interfere in these little matters?" Then to NIPPARD he added, "Come on, you swaggering bully, you tormentor of every peaceful inhabitant, you horrid tyrant, you----" But here the hornet, stung by these reproaches, tried to reply in similar but more practical fashion. KIPPER, however, was too quick for him, and gave him a sharp prod in the right wing just as he was swooping down on the crouching EGLANTINE. The stagbeetle clapped his horns together at the thrust, while the toad waddled out of his hole and took notes of the affray without comment, for he had just as fine a sense of the value of neutrality as Mr. GLADSTONE or the PRESIDENT of the United States. NIPPARD, however, was in nowise discomfited and made another ferocious dash, this time straight at KIPPER, who fenced his sting, but got a buffet on the head from the hornet's body which almost knocked him off his legs. However, he recovered himself and stood once more on guard. EGLANTINE meanwhile had pressed some more wild mint between her fingers and anointed her champion's brow. This seemed to refresh him very much. As to the stagbeetle, he was too frightened to do anything. So the fight continued, now KIPPER got a good stroke, now NIPPARD wounded the goblin, but the hornet was never able to get full power into his sling, nor the goblin into his sword, so nimble were both.