light, as has been mentioned before, was to coin a new word for his
dictionary.

Leaving Mary Louise to her slumbers, the princess mermaid sat herself
down before her mirror and combed her hair. Presently, she went over
to her wardrobe and took out a beautiful shimmery pink shawl. What it
was made of I cannot tell, except that it shivered and quivered with
little colors like a rainbow. Perhaps it was made of changeable
sea-silk.

At any rate, Mary Louise, who at that moment opened her eyes, thought
it was the most exquisite thing she had ever seen.

"Is it really for me? Is it really?" she asked with a cry of delight,
as the mermaid came toward her.

"Of course it is, my dear," replied the mermaid princess, "and as soon
as you have put it on, and combed your hair--you needn't wash your
hands and face, you know--the banquet will be ready."

Mary Louise clapped her hands and hopped, or, rather, flopped about, so
happy was she to receive such a gift in the depths of the sea.

When she was dressed in the lovely shawl, and a beautiful
mother-of-pearl comb fastened in her hair, the princess mermaid
declared she looked "too sweet for anything!" Then they floated down,
arm in arm, to the great dining hall.

King Seaphus

The great dining hall of King Seaphus was considered by all the
inhabitants of Merland--that is, all those who had been lucky enough to
have seen its splendor--to be the most magnificent of its kind anywhere.

The dining table, or banquet board, as it was called, was made of
mother-of-pearl. The pale, shimmery cloth was woven from the most
delicate of sea-grasses. The gold and silver plates shone with a
strange luster, and the goblets, fashioned of the thinnest and most
exquisite pearl, gave the impression that they were strange sea lilies.

King Seaphus seated himself majestically at the head of the banquet
board, and little Mary Louise was shown the place on his right. At the
other end sat the Mermaid Princess. Mermen in dark green liveries
served the meal. But what delighted and interested Mary Louise the
most was the way in which the food was served. Instead of ordinary,
everyday dishes, it appeared in little airtight boats, which the
servants guided dexterously to the table, and when opened, the steam
escaped in hundreds of little bubbles that took on all the hues of the
rainbow. These slowly ascended through the pale green water until they
reached the surface, where they pr