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Presently they came upon a small flock of mackerel, and noticed that the fishes

seemed much excited. When they saw the mermaid, they cried out, "Oh, Merla!

What do you think? Our Flippity has just gone to glory!"

"When?" asked the mermaid.

"Just now," one replied. "We were lying in the water, talking quietly together when

a spinning, shining thing came along and our dear Flippity ate it. Then he went

shooting up to the top of the water and gave a flop and--went to glory! Isn't it

splendid, Merla?"

"Poor Flippity!" sighed the mermaid. "I'm sorry, for he was the prettiest and nicest

mackerel in your whole flock."

"What does it mean?" asked Trot. "How did Flippity go to glory?"

Why, he was caught by a hook and pulled out of the water into some boat,"

Merla explained. "But these poor stupid creatures do not understand that, and

when one of them is jerked out of the water and disappears, they have the idea he

has gone to glory, which means to them some unknown but beautiful sea."

"I've often wondered," said Trot, "why fishes are foolish enough to bite on hooks."

"They must know enough to know they're hooks," added Cap'n Bill musingly.

"Oh, they do," replied Merla. "I've seen fishes gather around a hook and look at it

carefully for a long time. They all know it is a hook and that if they bite the bait

upon it they will be pulled out of the water. But they are curious to know what

will happen to them afterward, and think it means happiness instead of death. So

finally one takes the hook and disappears, and the others never know what

becomes of him."

Why don't you tell 'em the truth?" asked Trot.

Oh, we do. The mermaids have warned them many times, but it does no good at

all. The fish are stupid creatures."

"But I wish I was Flippity," said one of the mackerel, staring at Trot with his big,

round eyes. "He went to glory before I could eat the hook myself."

"You're lucky," answered the child. "Flippity will be fried in a pan for someone's

dinner. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

"Flippity has gone to glory!" said another, and then they swam away in haste to

tell the news to all they met.

The Sea Fairies