I am not a fish at all , but a girl ; at least I was a girl a few minutes ago , only -- ' And she ducked her head under the waves so that they should not see her crying . ` Only you did not believe that the fish you caught had power to carry out its threat , ' said an old tunny . ` Well , never mind , that has happened to all of us , and it really is not a bad life . Cheer up and come with us and see our queen , who lives in a palace that is much more beautiful than any your queens can boast of . ' The new fish felt a little afraid of taking such a journey ; but as she was still more afraid of being left alone , she waved her tail in token of consent , and off they all set , hundreds of them together . The people on the rocks and in the ships that saw them pass said to each other : ` Look what a splendid shoal ! ' and had no idea that they were hastening to the queen 's palace ; but , then , dwellers on land have so little notion of what goes on in the bottom of the sea ! Certainly the little new fish had none . She had watched jelly-fish and nautilus swimming a little way below the surface , and beautiful coloured sea-weeds floating about ; but that was all . Now , when she plunged deeper her eyes fell upon strange things . Wedges of gold , great anchors , heaps of pearl , inestimable stones , unvalued jewels -- all scattered in the bottom of the sea ! Dead men 's bones were there also , and long white creatures who had never seen the light , for they mostly dwelt in the clefts of rocks where the sun 's rays could not come . At first our little fish felt as if she were blind also , but by-and-by she began to make out one object after another in the green dimness , and by the time she had swum for a few hours all became clear . ` Here we are at last , ' cried a big fish , going down into a deep valley , for the sea has its mountains and valleys just as much as the land . ` That is the palace of the queen of the fishes , and I think you must confess that the emperor himself has nothing so fine . ' ` It is beautiful indeed , ' gasped the little fish , who was very tired with trying to swim as fast as the rest , and beautiful beyond words the palace was . The walls were made of pale pink coral , worn smooth by the waters , and round the windows were rows of pearls ; the great doors were standing open , and the whole troop floated into the chamber of audience , where the queen , who was half a woman after all , was seated on a throne made of a green and blue shell . ` Who are you , and where do you come from ? ' said she to the little fish , whom the others had pushed in front . And in a low , trembling voice , the visitor told her story . '
I was once a girl too , ' answered the queen , when the fish had ended ; ` and my father was the king XXXXX a great country .
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