www.freeclassicebooks.com

Are you very cold?" asked Aquareine.

N-not v-v-very!" replied Trot, but her teeth chattered and she was still shivering.

The water will be warm in a few minutes," said the Queen. "But now I must melt

the rest of the ice and liberate Clia."

This she did in an astonishingly brief time, and the pretty princess, being herself

a fairy, had not been at all affected by the cold surrounding her.

They now swam to the door of Cap'n Bill's room and found the Peony Chamber a

solid block of ice. The queen worked her magic power as hard as she could, and

the ice flowed and melted quickly before her fairy wand. Yet when they reached

the old sailor, he was almost frozen stiff, and Trot and Clia had to rub his hands

and nose and ears very briskly to warm him up and bring him back to life.

Cap'n Bill was pretty tough, and he came around, in time, and opened his eyes

and sneezed and asked if the blizzard was over. So the queen waved her wand

over his head a few times to restore him to his natural condition of warmth, and

soon the old sailor became quite comfortable and was able to understand all

about the strange adventure from which he had so marvelously escaped.

"I've made up my mind to one thing, Trot," he said confidentially. "If ever I get out

o' this mess I'm in, I won't be an Arctic explorer, whatever else happens. Shivers

an' shakes ain't to my likin', an' this ice business ain't what it's sometimes

cracked up to be. To be friz once is enough fer anybody, an' if I was a gal like you,

I wouldn't even wear frizzes on my hair."

"You haven't any hair, Cap'n Bill," answered Trot, "so you needn't worry."

The queen and Clia had been talking together very earnestly. They now

approached their earth friends, and Aquareine said:

"We have decided not to remain in this castle any longer. Zog's cruel designs

upon our lives and happiness are becoming too dangerous for us to endure. The

golden sword now bears a fairy charm, and by its aid I will cut a way through our

enemies. Are you ready and willing to follow me?"

Of course we are!" cried Trot.

It don't seem 'zactly right to ask a lady to do the fightin'," remarked Cap'n Bill,

but magic ain't my strong p'int, and it seems to be yours, ma'am. So swim

ahead, and we'll wiggle the same way you do, an' try to wiggle out of our

troubles."

The Sea Fairies