green depths.

"Oh, look!" cried Fidge, excitedly. "Fishes! Fishes!" and he started off
swimming after them quite naturally.

"One's got a hat on," he called out. "Look! look! there's another; oh,
let's catch them!"

"If you don't behave yourself you'll be locked up," said a severe voice,
and, turning around, the children beheld a very stern-looking fish,
wearing a helmet, and carrying a truncheon.

"Now then, move on; don't obstruct the traffic!" he cried, angrily; and
the children swimming off as hastily as they could, mentally put him
down as a kind of sea policeman.

"You certainly mustn't try and catch any of the fishes, Fidge, or you
will be getting us all into trouble," said Dick. And Fidge, overawed by
the policeman fish, became quiet subdued, and contented himself with a
quiet "Look! look!" when they passed anything particularly strange or
interesting.

[Illustration: "The chair was floating just in front of them."]

They had very nearly reached the bottom of the sea, when they noticed a
singular-looking object floating some distance in front of them.

"It looks like a chair!" declared Marjorie. "Why, I believe," she
continued, as they drew nearer, "that it's the very one the Dodo was
floating upon when we saw him last."

"So it is!" cried Dick; "and look, there's a note on it--perhaps it's
for us."

They swam towards it as quickly as they could, and had just reached the
chair, as a curious-looking fish--with a very long nose, and wearing
shoes on the end of his long tail, and a tall hat--swam past.

He looked at them inquisitively, and then stood a little way at the back
of them, waiting till they should be disengaged.

"To all to whom it may concern," read Dick, after he had picked up the
note from off the chair. "I suppose that means us as much as any one."

"Of course it does," agreed Marjorie. "It concerns us very much to find
out where the Dodo is."

Dick hesitated no longer, but opened the note eagerly. His face fell,
however, when he beheld the contents.

"_Mind your own business!_" he read, slowly. "What a sell! I believe the
Dodo did write it, though, and intended it as a hint that we were not
to try find and him. I'm half inclined to give it up."

"But Dick, dear, remember," said Marjorie, "we shall be--er--you
know--what the Ambassador said--if we don't find him."

"Oh, ah," said Dick, "I'd forgotten that. Come on, then; let's see what
can be done."

"Can I be of any assista