their lullabies Ripple
heard through the roar of wind and water a bitter cry that seemed to
call her. Floating up through foam and spray she saw a woman standing on
the beach with her arms outstretched, imploring the cruel sea to give
her back her little child.

Ripple longed so much to comfort the poor mother that power was given
her to show herself, and to make her soft language understood. A slender
creature, in a robe as white as foam, with eyes as blue as the sea, and
a murmuring voice that made music like falling drops of water, bent over
the weeping woman and told her that the child was cared for far below
all storms, and promised to keep the little grave beautiful with
sea-flowers, and safe from any harm. But the mother could not be
comforted, and still cried bitterly,--

"Give him back to me alive and laughing, or I cannot live. Dear sprite,
have you no charm to make the little darling breathe again? Oh, find
one, find one, or let me lie beside him in the hungry sea."

"I will look far and wide and see if I can help you. Watch by the shore,
and I will come again with the little child if there is any power in
land or sea to make him live," cried Ripple, so eager to do this happy
thing that she sprang into the ocean and vanished like a bubble.

She hurried to the Queen in her palace of pearls and told her all the
sad story.

"Dear Ripple, you cannot keep your promise, for there is no power in my
kingdom to work this spell. The only thing that could do it would be a
flame from the sun to warm the little body into life, and you could
never reach the fire spirits' home far, far away."

"But I _will_!" cried Ripple, bravely. "If you had seen the poor
mother's tears and heard her cries you would feel as I do, and never let
her watch in vain. Tell me where I must go; and I will not be afraid of
anything if I can only make the little child live again."

"Far away beside the sun live the fire spirits; but I cannot tell the
road, for it is through the air and no water sprite could live to reach
it. Dear Ripple, do not go, for if any harm comes to you I shall lose my
sweetest subject," said the Queen,--and all the others begged her to
stay safely at home.

But Ripple would not break her promise, and they had to let her go. So
the sprites built a tomb of delicate, bright shells, where the child
might lie till she came to make him live again; and with a brave good-by
Ripple floated away on her long journey to the s