“Yes,” said the Witch, proudly. “I give a tea-party every week for the fish. The Sea Kobold, the real ruler of this sea, has become so bad-tempered, since they screwed him in here, that he won’t do a single thing for the amusement of his poor unfortunate subjects; so, of course, I feel it my duty to do what I can to cheer them up. Do you know him, by the way?” “The Sea Kobold?” said Dick, a little bewildered. “Yes, I—I—have met him. He didn’t seem to like me very much, though.” “Dear, dear!” said the Witch. “Then I’ll warrant that he never even offered you a cup of tea!” “No, indeed!” answered Dick. “Dear, dear!” exclaimed the Witch again. “Then you must certainly come to my tea-party, even if you have never heard of my husband, the Old Man of the Sea.” She motioned Dick to sit down on the sand, between two horrid-looking fishes, and began to bustle about hospitably, among a number of queer-shaped shells which, Dick gathered, took the place of cups at fish tea-parties. “With or without salt?” asked the Witch. Dick started. “I—I beg your pardon,” he stammered. “What did you say?” “I _said_, ‘with or without salt’!” snapped the Witch, holding a pink and orange shell in her hand. “Without, I think,—thank you,” answered Dick, as politely as he could. “You’re making a great mistake,” the Witch told him seriously. “Never take tea in the sea without salt!” Dick said he would take salt, after all, and the Witch brought him the pink and orange shell, filled with a pale liquid which tasted as though it were made of sea-weed. As a matter of fact, it _was_ made of sea-weed. “Why doesn’t it spill out?” he asked. “Why doesn’t _what_ spill out?” said the Witch. “The—the tea,” said Dick, wondering more and more how you could drink liquid when you were sitting under the water. “Because there isn’t anywhere to spill it!” said the Witch. “Stupid!” Dick drank his salt tea, and found that it tasted better after you had become a little used to it. The fish seemed to enjoy it immensely. As they all sipped their tea, Dick had a chance to look at his fellow-guests more closely. They were a queer collection.