Another touch of the medicine in the hornet's tail, however, promptly put a stop to that, and once more it tightened up into an unresisting ball.

Then straddling it again firmly, and handling it cleverly with its front legs as a raccoon might handle a big apple, she bit into it here and there, sucking eagerly with a quick, pumping motion of her body.

The fat ball got smaller and smaller, till soon it was very little bigger than an ordinary sweet pea.

The hornet turned it over and over impatiently, to see if anything more was to be got out of it; then she spurned it aside, and bounced into the air with a deep hum.

She had certainly been very amusing, but the Child drew a breath of relief when she was gone.