this speech. "Where I come from, we only eat codfish when there's
nothing else in the house to eat."

"How absurd!" observed one of the creatures arrogantly.

"Eat codfish indeed!" said another in a lofty manner.

"Yes, and you're pretty salty, too, I can tell you. At home you're
nothing but a pick-up!" said Trot.

"Dear me!" exclaimed the first fish who had spoken. "Must we stand
this insulting language--and from a person to whom we have never
been introduced?"

"I don't need no interduction," replied the girl. "I've eaten you,
and you always make me thirsty."

Merla laughed merrily at this, and the codfish said, with much
dignity, "Come, fellow aristocrats, let us go."

"Never mind, we're going ourselves," announced Merla, and followed
by her guests the pretty mermaid swam away.

"I've heard tell of codfish aristocracy," said Cap'n Bill, "but I
never knowed 'zac'ly what it meant afore."

"They jus' made me mad with all their airs," observed Trot, "so I
gave 'em a piece of my mind."

"You surely did, mate," said the sailor, "but I ain't sure they