She had a cocked hat upon her head ; from under it her long green hair -- just the colour of the sea -- fell down behind , without hindrance to her dancing . Her teeth were like rows of pearls ; her lips for all the world looked like red coral ; and she had a shining gown pale green as the hollow of the wave , with little rows of purple and red seaweeds settled out upon it ; for you never yet saw a lady , under the water or over the water , who had not a good notion of dressing herself out . Up she danced at last to Maurice , who was flinging his feet from under him as fast as hops -- for nothing in this world could keep still while that tune of his was going on -- and says she to him , chanting it out with a voice as sweet as honey : I 'm a lady of honour Who live in the sea ; Come down , Maurice Connor , And be married to me . Silver plates and gold dishes You shall have , and shall be The king of the fishes , When you 're married to me . Drink was strong in Maurice 's head , and out he chanted in return for her great civility . It is not every lady , may be , that would be after making such an offer to a blind piper ; therefore 't was only right in him to give her as good as she gave herself , so says Maurice : I 'm obliged to you , madam : Off a gold dish or plate , If a king , and I had 'em , I could dine in great state . With your own father 's daughter I 'd be sure to agree , But to drink the salt water Would n't do so with me ! The lady looked at him quite amazed , and swinging her head from side to side like a great scholar , ` Well , ' says she , ` Maurice , if you 're not a poet , where is poetry to be found ? ' In this way they kept on at it , framing high compliments ; one answering the other , and their feet going with the music as fast as their tongues . All the fish kept dancing , too ; Maurice heard the clatter and was afraid to stop playing lest it might be displeasing to the fish , and not knowing what so many of them may take it into their heads to do to him if they got vexed . Well , the lady with the green hair kept on coaxing Maurice with soft speeches , till at last she over persuaded him to promise to marry her , and be king over the fishes , great and small . Maurice was well fitted to be their king , if they wanted one that could make them dance ; and he surely would drink , barring the salt water , with any fish of them all . When Maurice 's mother saw him with that unnatural thing in the form of a green-haired lady as his guide , and he and she dancing down together so lovingly to the water 's edge , through the thick of the fishes , she called out after him to stop and come back . ` Oh , then , ' says she , ` as if I was not widow enough before , there he is going away from me to be married to that scaly woman . And who knows but 't is grandmother I may be to a hake or a cod -- Lord help and pity me , but 't is a mighty unnatural thing ! And my be 't is boiling and eating my own grandchild I 'll be , with a bit of salt butter , and I not knowing it ! Oh , Maurice , Maurice , if there 's any love or nature left in you , come back to your own ould mother , who reared you like a decent Christian ! ' Then the poor woman began to cry and sob so finely that it would do anyone good to hear her . Maurice was not long getting to the rim of the water . There he kept playing and dancing on as if nothing was the matter , and a great thundering wave coming in towards him ready to swallow him up alive ; but as he could not see it , he did not fear it .
His mother it was who saw it plainly XXXXX the big tears that were rolling down her cheeks ; and though she saw it , and her heart was aching as much as ever mother 's heart ached for a son , she kept dancing , dancing all the time for the bare life of her .
If Off as at in like out through to upon