有声英语儿童童话故事 海的女儿 第32章

Once during the night her sisterscame up arm in arm, singing sorrowfully as they floated on the water. Shebeckoned to them, and they recognized her and told her how she had grievedthem; after that, they came to the same place every night. Once she saw in thedistance her old grandmother, who had not been to the surface of the sea formany years, and the old Sea King, her father, with his crown on his head. Theystretched out their hands towards her, but did not venture so near the land asher sisters had.

As the days passed she loved theprince more dearly, and he loved her as one would love a little child. Thethought never came to him to make her his wife. Yet unless he married her, shecould not receive an immortal soul, and on the morning after his marriage withanother, she would dissolve into the foam of the sea.

“Do you not love methe best of them all?” the eyes of the little mermaid seemed to say when hetook her in his arms and kissed her fair forehead.