“Take notice, that I have this day officially recorded in letters of gold, in the Official Archives, the proclaiming and the crowning of King Waratah and Queen Wattle Blossom! So be it! Praise be to God!” Led by the Band, the whole company then joined in singing— THE FAIRIES’ NATIONAL ANTHEM. Praise to God, the King of Kings, Lord of all created things! Prince of Love, and Master Mind, Still direct us, lest we find That for lack of Thine assistance Evil meet with scant resistance. That in service we, to Thee, May Thy gracious kindness bring Back in splendid blossoming! Shelter, Lord, our noble King, Safely underneath Thy wing. Grant him health, and strength, and skill, Aye to do Thy Sovereign Will! When the last notes of the anthem had died away, at a sign from King Waratah everybody except himself sat down. Raising his right hand straight above his head, forefinger pointing to the Heavens, he took the Fairy oath of allegiance as follows: “I, King Waratah, in the presence of the Official Recorder, and of you all, do solemnly and sincerely undertake that, to the best of my ability and strength, I will justly and truly administer the affairs of my Kingdom. So help me God!” To which everybody added: “So be it!” as the King resumed his seat. A moment later he smilingly said: “To bring this glorious evening’s pleasures to a close, I will now call upon the fifth of ‘The Five Story Tellers’ to tell us a tale.” In response “Hearing” immediately stood forth, and this is what he said:— MUSIC’S STORY “Once upon a time, a long while ago, I was standing on the rounded shore of the world, gazing into space. As I stood there, lost in thought, my attention was eventually called to a long, slow succession of sounds like sighs, infinitely sad, but inexpressibly sweet. “Whilst I was wondering what these sounds might mean, and from whence they came, at my feet I suddenly perceived a very extraordinary-looking little person, who appeared to be all head and no body. He was looking up at me with such a wistful expression on his face that I felt impelled to ask him, ‘Who are you, and what is your Story?’ And by way of answer, in a very slow and somewhat hesitating way, this is what he said:— “‘My name is Music, though my parents call me Breve. For untold ages I have lived upon the outer edge of the earth with my father, Harmony, and my mother, Concord. Both my parents have quite an exalted opinion of me; but so far I have not come up to their expectations. I am very sorry that this should be the case, for nothing would please me better than to justify their hopes.