"Sink down at once," he continued; "you are over the city now," and
with a wave of his hand he sailed away with the children, and was soon
out of sight.

"I suppose there's nothing else to be done," sighed Sidigunda, and
throwing the scarf over her head, she poured a few drops from the
bottle upon her shoe.

"Turn into a fish and carry me down to the Sea-city!" she said.

In a moment she felt herself sinking through the clear water, deeper
and deeper, with a delicious drowsy feeling that almost soothed her to
sleep. She knew she was _not_ asleep though, for she could see the
misty forms of sea creatures, darting about in the dim shadows, and
great waving sea-weeds--crimson, yellow, and brown--floating up from
the rippled sand beneath.

And now the shoe swum straight on, darting through the water like an
eel; until a large town came in sight, with high walls and Palaces,
and shining domes covered with mother-o'-pearl.

They stopped at a great gate, before which a fish dressed as a sentry
was standing.

As soon as he saw the little Princess, he drew his sword, and came
gliding towards her.

"Your name and business!" he enquired, in a high thin voice.

"I am Princess Sidigunda, seeking my golden shoe, and I bring this
from the Sea-Troll," said the Princess courageously. "Will you tell
me where I am to find the Trolls of the Palace?"

The fish handed the shell back sulkily, and pointed up the street.

"Go straight through till you come to the marble building with the
pearls over the door," he said; and gave the Princess a poke with the
handle of his sword, that pushed her through the gate, almost before
she had time to draw on her golden shoe again.

"What a rude, ill-bred sentry!" said Sidigunda. "My father would be
very angry if any of _our_ soldiers behaved so; but then, of course,
this one is only a fish. What a strange country I seem to have got
into!"

She walked along the street, looking on each side of her curiously.

Many of the houses had transparent domes, like beautiful soap bubbles;
some were built of coloured pebbles, and pink and red coral, with
branching trees of green and brown seaweed growing up, beside and over
them.

Everything was strange, and unlike the earth; but what struck the
Princess most was that no inhabitants were to be seen anywhere. A few
fish swam about lazily, otherwise an unbroken silence reigned in the
Sea-city.

Far away, at the end of the wide sanded road, a great m