But Gussie was made of stern stuff after all, and could not dither long. She turned back, steeled herself for disaster, and fixed her eyes upon Lady Maundevyle’s transforming person.
‘Oh,’ said she, and for a moment her mouth hung open in surprise.
Then she began to laugh.
‘I do not see why it is in the least amusing,’ said the dowager crossly.
‘No, I don’t suppose you do,’ Gussie gasped. For Lady Maundevyle had not become a dragon, and she was in no wise pleased about this development.
She had, however, undergone a significant change. It was her legs that were the most altered, in that they had vanished altogether. In their place, the dowager viscountess had a fish’s tail, sleek and scaled, and presently thrashing with temper.
‘How glad I am that Aunt Wheldrake is not by!’ said Guss
