The PALACE OF QUEEN AQUARINE
Chap. 4]
Trot was surprised to find it was not at all dark or gloomy as theydescended farther into the deep sea. Things were not quite so clearto her eyes as they had been in the bright sunshine above the ocean'ssurface, but every object was distinct, nevertheless, as if she saw itthrough a pane of green tinted glass. The water was very clear, exceptfor this green shading, and the little girl had never before felt solight and buoyant as she did now. It was no effort at all to dartthrough the water, which seemed to support her on all sides.
"I don't believe I weigh anything at all," she told Cap'n Bill.
"No more do I, Trot," said he. "But that's nat'ral, seein' as we'reunder water so far. What bothers me most is how we manage to breathe,havin' no gills, like fishes have."
"Are you sure we haven't any gills?" she asked, lifting her free handto feel her throat.
"Sure. Ner the mermaids haven't any, either," declared Cap'n Bill.
"Then," said Trot, "we're breathing by magic."
The mermaids laughed at this shrewd remark, and the Princess said:
"You have guessed correctly, my dear. Go a little slower, now, for thepalaces are in sight."
"Where?" asked Trot, eagerly.
"Just before you."
"In that grove of trees?" inquired the girl. And, really, it seemed toher they were approaching a beautiful grove.
The bottom of the sea was covered with white sand, in which grew manyvarieties of sea shrubs with branches like those of trees. Not all ofthem were green, however, for the branches and leaves were of a varietyof gorgeous colors. Some were purple, shading down to light lavender;and there were reds all the way from a delicate rose-pink to vividshades of scarlet. Orange, yellow and blue shades were there, too,mingling with the sea-greens in a most charming manner. Altogether,Trot found the brilliant coloring somewhat bewildering.
These sea shrubs, which in size were quite as big and tall as the treeson earth, were set so close together that their branches entwined; butthere were several avenues leading into the groves, and at the entranceto each avenue the girl noticed several large fishes, with long spikesgrowing upon their noses.
"These are swordfishes," remarked the Princess, as she led the bandpast one of these avenues.
"Are they dang'rous?" asked Trot.
"Not to us," was the reply. "The swordfishes are among our most valuedand faithful servants, guarding the entrances to the gardens whichsurround our palaces. If any creatures try to enter uninvited theseguards fight them and drive them away. Their swords are sharp andstrong, and they are fierce fighters, I assure you."
"I've known 'em to attack ships, an' stick their swords right throughthe wood," said Cap'n Bill.
"Those belonged to the wandering tribes of swordfishes," explainedthe Princess. "These, who are our servants, are too sensible andintelligent to attack ships."
The band now headed into a broad passage through the "gardens," asthe mermaids called these gorgeous groves, and the great swordfishesguarding the entrance made way for them to pass, afterward resumingtheir posts with round and watchful eyes. As they slowly swam alongthe avenue Trot noticed that some of the bushes seemed to have fruitsgrowing upon them; but what these fruits might be, neither she norCap'n Bill could guess.
The way wound here and there for some distance, till finally theycame to a more open space, all carpeted with sea flowers of exquisitecolorings. Although Trot did not know it, these flowers resembled therare orchids of earth in their fanciful shapes and marvelous hues.The child did not examine them very closely, for across the carpet offlowers loomed the magnificent and extensive palaces of the mermaids.
These palaces were built of coral; white, pink and yellow being used,and the colors arranged in graceful designs. The front of the mainpalace, which now faced them, had circular ends connecting the straightwall, not unlike the architecture we are all familiar with; yet thereseemed to be no windows to the building, although a series of archwaysserved as doors.
Arriving at one of the central archways the band of sea maidensseparated, Princess Clia and Merla leading Trot and Cap'n Bill intothe palace, while the other mermaids swam swiftly away to their ownquarters.
"Welcome!" said Clia, in her sweet voice. "Here you are surrounded onlyby friends and are in perfect safety. Please accept our hospitality asfreely as you desire, for we consider you honored guests. I hope youwill like our home," she added, a little shyly.
"We are sure to, dear Princess," Trot hastened to say.
Then Clia escorted them through the archway and into a lofty hall.It was not a mere grotto, but had smoothly built walls of pink coralinlaid with white. Trot at first thought there was no roof, for lookingupward she could see the water all above them. But the princess,reading her thought, said with a smile:
"Yes, there is a roof, or we would be unable to keep all the sea peopleout of our palace. But the roof is made of glass, to admit the light."
"Glass!" cried the astonished child. "Then it must be an awful big paneof glass."
"It is," agreed Clia. "Our roofs are considered quite wonderful, and weowe them to the fairy powers of our queen. Of course, you understandthere is no natural way to make glass under water."
"No, indeed," said Cap'n Bill. And then he asked: "Does your queen livehere?"
"Yes. She is waiting now, in her throne room, to welcome you. Shall wego in?"
"I'd just as soon," replied Trot, rather timidly; but she boldlyfollowed the princess, who glided through another arch into a smallroom, where several mermaids were reclining upon couches of coral. Theywere beautifully dressed and wore many sparkling jewels.
"Her Majesty is awaiting the strangers, Princess Clia," announced oneof these. "You are asked to enter at once."
"Come, then," said Clia, and once more taking Trot's hand she led thegirl through still another arch, while Merla followed just behind them,escorting Cap'n Bill.
They now entered an apartment so gorgeous that the child fairly gaspedwith astonishment. The queen's throne room was indeed the grandest andmost beautiful chamber in all the ocean palaces. Its coral walls werethickly inlaid with mother-of-pearl, exquisitely shaded and made intoborders and floral decorations. In the corners were cabinets, upon theshelves of which many curious shells were arranged, all beautifullypolished. The floor glittered with gems arranged in patterns offlowers, like a brilliant carpet.
Near the center of the room was a raised platform of mother-of-pearlupon which stood a couch thickly studded with diamonds, rubies,emeralds and pearls. Here reclined Queen Aquareine, a being so lovelythat Trot gazed upon her spellbound and Cap'n Bill took off his sailorcap and held it in his hands.
All about the room were grouped other mother-of-pearl couches, notraised like that of the queen, and upon each of these reclined a prettymermaid. They could not sit down as we do, Trot readily understood,because of their tails; but they rested very gracefully upon thecouches, with their trailing gauzy robes arranged in fleecy folds.
When Clia and Merla escorted the strangers down the length of the greatroom toward the royal throne they met with pleasant looks and smiles onevery side, for the sea maidens were too polite to indulge in curiousstares. They paused just before the throne, and the queen raised herhead upon one elbow to observe them.
"Welcome, Mayre," she said; "and welcome, Cap'n Bill. I trust you arepleased with your glimpse of the life beneath the surface of the sea."
"_I_ am," answered Trot, looking admiringly at the beautiful face ofthe queen.
"It's all mighty cur'ous an' strange like," said the sailor, slowly."I'd no idee you mermaids were like this, at all!"
"Allow me to explain that it was to correct your wrong ideas about usthat led me to invite you to visit us," replied the Queen. "We usuallypay little heed to the earth people, for we are content in our owndominions; but, of course, we know all that goes on upon your earth.So, when Princess Clia chanced to overhear your absurd statementsconcerning us, we were grea
tly amused and decided to let you see, withyour own eyes, just what we are like."
"I'm glad you did," answered Cap'n Bill, dropping his eyes in someconfusion as he remembered his former description of the mermaids.
"Now that you are here," continued the Queen, in a cordial, friendlytone, "you may as well remain with us a few days and see the wonderfulsights of our ocean."
"I'm much obliged to you, ma'am," said Trot; "and I'd like to stay,ever so much; but mother worries jus' dreadful if we don't get home intime."
"I'll arrange all that," said Aquareine, with a smile.
"How?" asked the girl.
"I will make your mother forget the passage of time, so she will notrealize how long you are away. Then she cannot worry."
"Can you do that?" inquired Trot.
"Very easily. I will send your mother into a deep sleep that will lastuntil you are ready to return home. Just at present she is seated inher chair by the front window, engaged in knitting." The queen pausedto raise an arm and wave it slowly to and fro. Then she added: "Nowyour good mother is asleep, little Mayre, and instead of worries Ipromise her pleasant dreams."
"Won't somebody rob the house while she's asleep?" asked the childanxiously.
"No, dear. My charm will protect the house from any intrusion."
"That's fine!" exclaimed Trot in delight.
"It's jes' won-erful!" said Cap'n Bill. "I wish I knew it was so.Trot's mother has a awful sharp tongue when she's worrited."
"You may see for yourselves," declared the Queen, and waved her handagain.
At once they saw before them the room in the cottage, with Mayre'smother asleep by the window. Her knitting was in her lap and the catlay curled up beside her chair. It was all so natural that Trot thoughtshe could hear the clock over the fireplace tick. After a moment thescene faded away, when the queen asked with another smile: "Are yousatisfied?"
"Oh, yes!" cried Trot. "But how could you do it?"
"It is a form of mirage," was the reply. "We are able to bring anyearth scene before us whenever we wish. Sometimes these scenes arereflected above the water, so that mortals also observe them."
"I've seen 'em," said Cap'n Bill, nodding. "I've seen mirages; but Inever knowed what caused 'em, afore now."
"Whenever you see anything you do not understand, and wish to askquestions, I will be very glad to answer them," said the Queen.
"One thing that bothers me," said Trot, "is why we don't get wet, beingin the ocean with water all around us."
"That is because no water really touches you," explained the Queen."Your bodies have been made just like those of the mermaids, inorder that you may fully enjoy your visit to us. One of our peculiarqualities is that water is never permitted to quite touch our bodies,or our gowns. Always there remains a very small space, hardly a hair'sbreadth between us and the water, which is the reason we are alwayswarm and dry."
"I see," said Trot. "That's why you don't get soggy, or withered."
"Exactly," laughed the Queen, and the other mermaids joined in hermerriment.
"I s'pose that's how we can breathe without gills," remarked Cap'nBill, thoughtfully.
"Yes; the air space is constantly replenished from the water, whichcontains air, and this enables us to breathe as freely as you do uponthe earth."
"But we have fins," said Trot, looking at the fin that stood upright onCap'n Bill's back.
"Yes; they allow us to guide ourselves as we swim, and so are veryuseful," replied the Queen.
"They make us more finished," said Cap'n Bill, with a chuckle. Then,suddenly becoming grave, he asked: "How 'bout my rheumatics, ma'am?Ain't I likely to get stiffened up with all this dampness?"
"No, indeed," Aquareine answered; "there is no such thing as rheumatismin all our dominions. I promise no evil result shall follow this visitto us, so please be as happy and contented as possible."