As soon as Seven Spot stopped speaking, the water lily opened and out stepped a golden haired girl in a violet dress. »Chrysomela« cried Tom and ran to her with open arms.
»Long live our King, Little Tom!« was shouted on all sides in a loud chorus, while a great crowd of golden flies flew around and around the pool and a merry choir sang to celebrate the fête.
Tom was quite beside himself with happiness. The sad past faded away and he saw only before him the goldenhaired girl, who smiled at him from her blue eyes. They held each other's hands and talked and talked, until Seven Spot interrupted them to ask them to sit down to the banquet and accept the homage of their subjects.
The banquet was magnificent. Stuffed tiny snails, salad of flower tendrils, a giant whitebait born by four cooks on a dog-rose leaf, mint candies, and, for drinking, blackberry wine drawn directly from a great berry standing on the edge of the leaf.
When they began to feast, beautiful music sounded. It was the famous Gnat Quartette, two gnats playing violins, a small cicada, the cello and a wood-bee, the bass viol. Joyous strains rang through the warm summer air. Presently, a swarm of gnats hovered over the water close by, dancing a graceful ballet; and, when they had finished, there came a dragonfly who gave an acrobatic performance with giddy jumps and dizzy whirling.
The rest of the kingdom of the lady-birds were sitting all around the shore of the pool on mint and ferns, cheering and shouting with joy. On a fallen trunk by the water, sat a sedate group of water-bugs chewing young tendrils and nodding approval with their beards.