come up out of the sea--leaving
just one little bit of real yellow sand for him to beach the boat on.

'Now,' said millions of sharp thin little voices, 'Kill him, kill him!'

Sep drew his sword and waded into the shallow surf and killed the evil
fish with one strong stroke.

Then such a shout went up all along the shore as that shore had never
heard; and all along the shore where the mussels had been, stood men in
armour and men in smock-frocks and men in leather aprons and huntsmen's
coats and women and children--a whole nation of people. Close by the
boat stood a King and Queen with crowns upon their heads.

'Thank you, Sep,' said the King, 'you've saved us all. I am the King
Mussel, doomed to be a mussel so long as that wretch lived. You have set
us all free. And look!'

Down the path from the shore came running his own Princess, who hung
round his neck crying his name and looking at him with the most
beautiful eyes in the world.

'Come,' said the Mussel King, 'we have no son. You shall be our son and
reign after us.'

'Thank you,' said Sep, 'but _this_ is my father,' and he presented the
old fisherman to His Majesty.

'Then let him come with us,' said the King royally, 'he can help me
reign, or fish in the palace lake, whichever he prefers.'

'Thankee,' said Sep's father, 'I'll come and fish.'

'Your mother too,' said the Mussel Queen, kissing Sep's mother.

'Ah,' said Sep's mother, 'you're a lady, every inch. I'll go to the
world's end with you.'

So they all went back by way of the foreign country where Sep had found
his Princess, and they called on the old lord. He had lost his hump, and
they easily persuaded him to come with them.

'You can help me reign if you like, or we have a nice book or two in the
palace library,' said the Mussel King.

'Thank you,' said the old lord, 'I'll come and be your librarian if I
may. Reigning isn't at all in my line.'

Then they went on to Sep's father-in-law, and when he saw how happy they
all were together he said:

'Bless my beard but I've half a mind to come with you.'

'Come along,' said the Mussel King, 'you shall help me reign if you
like ... or....'

'No, thank you,' said the other King very quickly, 'I've had enough of
reigning. My kingdom can buy a President and be a republic if it likes.
I'm going to catch butterflies.'

And so he does, most happily, up to this very minute.

And Sep and his dear Princess are as happy as they deserve to be. So