Soon he began again. He pushed and pushed till the opening grew wide enough for his body; then he crawled slowly out and stood on top of his old skin. He felt strange and damp and chilly at first, but the sun was delightfully warm, so he stood still, to be dried and comforted. "How changed I am!" he thought. Indeed, the change was wonderful. The flabby grey body and the ugly mask and claws were gone. In their places he had a long, slender body barred with black and gold, a shapely head with two big bronze-green eyes and delicate feelers, and six supple finely-jointed legs. And he had wings! Yes, four beautiful, beautiful wings. He raised them one by one to dry them. He quivered with joy as he looked at their delicate lacework and lovely colours. "How fine they are! And how glorious it will be to fly!" he thought. Soon he was dried and warmed. He spread his glittering wings, rose into the air, and sailed away to play with his cousins and catch moths--a Pool Dragon no longer, but a shining Dragon-fly. GOLD BROOM AND WHITE BROOM On a piece of waste land lived the Broom cousins. "My leaves are bigger than yours," said Gold Broom to White Broom. "Size is not everything," said White Broom to Gold Broom; they were always sparring at one another. Buds came on the branches. Then the flowers sprang out and danced in the sunshine. "How pale and small your children are!" said Gold Broom to White Broom. "Mine are golden and well grown. See how strong and happy they look." "Yellow is such a common colour," said White Broom to Gold Broom. "White is much more refined. My children are not overgrown, but they are dainty. And how sweetly they are scented!" The bees and moths came flying amongst the flowers, unrolling their long tongues and sipping up the honey. "Are not my children the best?" asked Gold Broom of the bees. "Are not mine?" asked White Broom. "That is hard to decide," said the Bees. "We love them all alike. Gold Broom's children have more honey, but White Broom's honey is sweeter to the taste." They flew away to their hive, leaving the mothers to argue it out. The children took no part in the discussion. They were too happy to quarrel. They played and danced every day, till at last they grew tired. Then they dropped their bright wings and shut themselves away in their little green houses. Here they sat in rows on round stools and grew fat. The walls were lined with wool, so that the cold could not come in; every day Gold Broom and White Broom sent food up the stalk-passages to them. Thus they were comfortable and happy. But outside the mothers were still quarrelling. "My houses are bigger than yours," said Gold Broom. "As I told you before, size is nothing," replied White Broom. "Anyway, mine are much finer in shape."