Sing a Song of Sixpence Read online

  Produced by Al Haines.

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  [Transcriber's note: the illustrations in this book were originallyblack and white line drawings. They appear to have been colorized by aprevious owner of the book.]

  Nellie]

  SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE.

  BY

  MARY HOLDSWORTH.

  EDINBURGH AND LONDON: OLIPHANT, ANDERSON, & FERRIER. 1892

  BY THE SAME AUTHOR.

  _Uniform in Pretty Cloth Binding._

  SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE. MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY. WHERE THE SKY FALLS. ADVENTURES OF KING CLO. A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE. A STRANGER IN THE TEA.

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  Sing a Song of Sixpence.

  A brand new sixpence fresh from the Mint! How it sparkled and glitteredin the dancing sunlight! Such a treasure for a small girl to possess!But then, on the other hand, what a heavy responsibility!

  Nellie]

  All day long it had been burning a hole in her pocket, and as forlearning lessons, not an idea would enter her head. Everything went inat one ear and out of the other, as Miss Primmer sternly remarked whenNellie could not say her poetry. But, indeed, Nellie _did_ try hard tolearn her lessons; she squeezed her eyes together as tightly aspossible, though how shutting her eyes was to prevent the lessons fromcoming out of her ears was not very clear. "But _I must_ learn themnow," she sighed, "or Miss Primmer will keep me in to-morrow, and Ishan't be able to go out with Nursie and Reggie to spend my sixpence.Oh dear! I wish I could learn my poetry and keep it in, I guess I'dbetter get a bit of cotton wool to put in my ears and then it _can't_come out. There, now!

  "'Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow, And everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go.'

  "That's lovely! I wish I'd a lamb. I think I'll buy one with mysixpence. Won't it be nice? And I can keep it in the garden, and me andReggie can take it out for a walk. Oh, and have a blue ribbon round itsneck and a sash on! He shall have my blue sash, and I'll save it someof my milk from breakfast. Unless it's chocolate creams. How manyshould I get for sixpence? Loads, I should think! I _love_ chocs., butI'd like a lamb too! I'll buy them both--a lamb and some chocs. Lemmesee now. What was I saying? Oh, my poetry.

  "'It followed her to school one day'--

  Oh, and take it to school. Won't it be fun? What will Miss Primmer saywhen she sees my lamb? She won't say nothing to a dear, darling littlelamb! I _love_ lambs! Me and Reggie will have some wool off it to makesome stockings for Pa. I'll make them all by myself, and Pa will thinkI'm dreffle clever, won't he? And some for Ma, and Uncle Dick. Oh, andAunt Euphemia shall have some for her niggers. Where's my sixpencegone? It was in my pocket. Oh, here it is! What do they put theQueen's head on it for? And a crown. It does look funny, as though itwould tumble off. I wish I was the Queen and wore a crown. I'd havelots of sixpences. I'd go to Miss Primmer's and give all the littlegirls one each, and then they could all have a lamb each and some chocs.And I'd have lots of chocs.--_loads_ of them. I wish it was to-morrowto spend my sixpence."

  Nellie sat gazing dreamily into the nursery fire, with wide-open blueeyes, "Lemme say my poetry again.

  "'Mary had a little lamb'--

  With a blue sash on. What shall I call my lamb?" She went on gazingwith loving eyes at her bright new sixpence. "I think I'll call her theQueen. You won't mind my calling my lamb after you, do you?" she saidto her Majesty, who was looking very dignified indeed; at least, asdignified as it was possible to look when she had to hold her head asstiff as possible to keep the crown from toppling off. It must havegiven her a crick in her neck.

  Her Majesty smiled graciously.

  "Oh, not at all, don't mention it," she said politely.

  "Thank you so much," said Nellie, who was sitting in front of the firewith her hands clasped across her knee.

  "Get up and make your curtsey; I suppose you know how," said herMajesty.

  "Oh yes, Miss Primmer always makes us curtsey when we come in and goout," answered Nellie, getting up and making the best one she could.

  "That is not very graceful. This is the way," the Queen said, comingforward and showing her how to do it. "Only you see I have to keep myhead steady to keep the crown on, so it's rather awkward."

  Nellie bowed as she was directed, and the Queen returned the bow withgreat dignity. Nellie was much impressed. Fancy the Queen bowing toher! What lovely tales she would have to tell to-morrow!

  "What are you going to do with your new sixpence?" asked her Majesty,when she had seated herself again.

  "I thought I'd buy a lamb, and then I could make a pair of socks for Pawith the wool."

  The Queen smiled. "Very sensible indeed," she said, patting Nellie onthe head; "and you might make me a pair too, you know."

  Nellie's eyes sparkled. "And will you really wear them?" she askedeagerly.

  "I _always_ wear stockings," said the Queen in an offended tone. "Youdon't suppose I go about barefoot, do you?"

  "I did not mean that!" cried Nellie, aghast. The bare idea of such athing!

  "And don't make them too large," went on the Queen; "I am veryparticular about the fit."

  "I'd like to be a queen and wear a crown," said Nellie, after a pause.

  Her Majesty smiled. "Indeed! And pray, what would you do if you were?"

  "I'd buy a lamb for all the children at Miss Primmer's. Oh, andchocs.--such lots of chocs. And I'd put on my best frock every day, andhave cake every time I wanted it, and I'd have as many sixpences as Iliked, and----"

  "Stop, that will do," said the Queen; "if you always wore your bestfrock you'd soon want a new one, and then where would all your sixpencesbe? And as for the cake, I always keep _my_ cupboards locked, so thatno one can take a piece without asking for it; and the honey cupboard.I am very fond of honey."

  "Yes, I know, we sing about it in school," said Nellie.

  "Oh, indeed? you do, do you? That's very nice. But what do you singabout me?"

  "Oh, we sing:--

  "'Sing a song of sixpence, a pocket full of rye, Four and twenty blackbirds baking in a pie. When the pie was opened the birds began to sing, Was not that a dainty dish to set before a king? The king was in his counting house, counting out his money, The queen was in the parlour eating bread and honey, The maid was in the garden hanging out the clothes, There came a little blackbird and snapped off her nose.'"

  "That's very pretty," said her Majesty; "I wish I could write poetrylike that."

  "Can't you?" asked Nellie, looking surprised; she thought queens coulddo everything.

  "No," said her Majesty with a sigh; "I never could, though I've oftentried."

  "Try, try, try again," said Nellie. "We sing that in school too."

  "Well, what shall it be about?" asked the Queen.

  "Oh, about my lamb," said Nellie promptly.

  "Where is it?" asked the Queen, putting on her spectacles. "I thinkI'll write about you."

  "Here I am," cried a funny squeaky little voice, and there, if youplease, was the prettiest, fleeciest little white lamb you ever saw inyour life, with a blue ribbon round its neck, and Nellie's best bluesash tied in a bow round its tail.

  "Oh, how sweet!" cried the Queen, clapping her hands.

  The lamb tossed its head proudly.

  "Come near and let me look at you, you pretty thing," said the Queen,patting it. "Now I'll write my poetry. Get me a bottle of ink and acopy-book to write it in."
<
br />   "Would not a slate be better," said Nelly politely, "and then you couldcopy it neatly into your book afterwards, you know. That's the way wedo at school."

  "Well, yes, perhaps that would be best. I might make a blot."

  Nellie got her slate and a piece of pencil with a nice point. The Queentook it, and sat for about five minutes groaning and turning up her eyesto the ceiling, but nothing came of it. Nellie watched her anxiously.

  "Have you not 'most finished?" she asked after a while.

  "_Could_ you tell me how to spell honey?" asked the Queen. "I quiteforget, it is so long since I went to school."

  "I don't know," said Nellie, "I have not learned that yet. I'll get thedictionary.

  "There now," said the Queen triumphantly, holding up the slate forNellie to look at. It was written in large round letters, somethinglike Nellie's writing, with double lines to keep it even.

  "Oh dear, what can the matter be? Dear, dear, what can the matter be? Oh dear, what can the matter be? Nellie's so long making tea! She promised to give me some bread and some honey, Some cake and some jam--I gave her the money, What can she be doing? It _is_ very funny, I _do_ want my afternoon tea."

  "There," said the Queen with a deep sigh, "you can't say I never wroteany poetry. By-the-by, don't you think it's nearly time the pie wasdone?"

  "Pie?" asked Nellie, looking surprised.

  "Yes," said her Majesty sharply. "You said there were four and twentyblackbirds baking in a pie, didn't you? Just go and see if it's done,I'm getting hungry."

  "But where is the king? You can't have it without him?"

  "Never mind him. Let me have the pie."

  "Was it from the king's counting house my sixpence came?"

  "Of course," said the Queen testily. "Now go and see about that pie."

  Nellie went. It was a most delicious pie, crisp and brown. It made hermouth water to look at it.

  "I do hope the Queen won't be greedy and want to eat it all herself,"she thought, as she took it in and put it on the table.

  "Present it on one knee," commanded the Queen.

  Nellie did so. The Queen seized the knife and cut open the pie. All theblackbirds began singing so sweetly. It was the loveliest concert youever heard in your life.

  "Now that's what I call a most dainty dish," said her Majesty, lookingmuch pleased.

  "But you are not going to eat the dear little birds?" asked Nellieanxiously.

  "Of course not," said the Queen pettishly. "Get me a bit of bread andhoney. You know how fond I am of it."

  One of the blackbirds flew out of the window as Nellie went to thecupboard to get out some honey for the Queen and a piece of cake forherself.

  "Cookey makes such nice cakes," she said, with her mouth full.

  "You should not talk with your mouth full," said the Queen. "You cangive me one to taste."

  Nellie went down on one knee and presented it the way she had beenshown. The Queen took it at once and began to eat it. Such big bitesshe took too, which rather surprised Nellie, who had seen Miss Primmerat afternoon tea daintily mincing thin wafers of bread and butter.

  "What are you staring at?" asked the Queen. "I hate to be staredat--it's very rude. Get me my bread and honey at once."

  Nellie presented that too on one knee.

  "Have you not a drop of tea? I'm dreadfully thirsty," asked the Queen.

  "I have nothing but my doll's tea set, and they are rather tiny,"answered Nelly doubtfully, going to the cupboard and getting them out.

  "Never mind, I can drink all the more," said her Majesty, and indeed she_did_ drink. Nellie had never seen anything like it. There was no timefor her to drink a drop herself, she was so busy waiting on the Queen.After a bit she quite lost count of the number of cups she drank.

  "Don't you think you have drunk enough cups now?" she asked at length,thinking it about time she had a cup of tea herself.

  "Drunk enough cups indeed," said the Queen huffily, "as if I have drunk_any_ cups."

  Nellie was silent for a moment.

  "It's dreffel wicked to tell stories," she said, holding up one fingerwarningly. "Do you know where you'll go if you tell stories?"

  "I shall go home," said the Queen, "if you are going to be rude;besides, I have not told any stories."

  "Oh! You said you had not drunk any cups, and you have drunk_millions_."

  The Queen drew herself up haughtily.

  "Pray, how many cups did you put out?" she asked in a very dignifiedmanner.

  "Six," answered Nellie promptly.

  "Well, then, count them. There they are. One, two, three, four, five,six. How can you say I have drunk any of them? and millions too. It isyou who are telling the stories. I _never_ drink cups. I drink tea."

  Nellie did not know what to say to this. "Well, you drank plenty oftea, then," she said. "You did not leave any for me."

  "I think it is about time I went home, if that is the way you treat yourvisitors," said her Majesty, highly offended. "It is very rude to tellpeople how much they eat. I shan't come to see you again. And afterletting you have that six-pence, too."

  "It was Pa who gave it to me," said Nellie, who was a very truthfulchild.

  "Well, how did my head come on it then if it did not come from me in thefirst place?"

  Nellie could not answer a word.

  "Well, I must be going," said the Queen, recovering her good humour nowthat she had silenced Nellie.

  Nellie was just making her a grand curtsey when the door burst open andin rushed the maid, holding her handkerchief to her face.

  "It's the blackbird," she sobbed. "He's snapped off my nose."

  "Stick it on again," said the Queen.

  Nellie ran to get some sticking plaster, and stuck it on as hard as shecould.

  It looked rather funny, she thought, but could not exactly understandwhy for a little while, until she discovered it was stuck on upsidedown.

  "You had better take it off again and put it on straight," said theQueen. But nothing would induce it to come off, it was stuck on sotight.

  "I guess she'll have to stand on her head to blow her nose," saidNellie, thoughtfully.

  Nellie]

  "Of course, the very thing," assented the Queen, cheerfully. "Well, Ireally must be going. Good-bye now, whatever, and don't forget mystockings," she continued, waving her hand in token of farewell, and shevanished, banging the door after her.

  Nellie woke up with a start.

  "Why, Miss Nellie, whatever are you doing all in the dark? And you havelet the fire out too."

  "Oh, Nursie, such lovely things have happened. The Queen has been here,and my lamb; oh, and lots of things."

  "The Queen, indeed! Fiddle-sticks," said Nursie, with a sniff ofdisbelief.

  "Yes, she was. And she had tea with me out of my doll's tea-set. Andhere's my dear little lamb. Why, wherever has it gone?" asked Nellie,rubbing her eyes and looking around.

  Nellie]

  "And what on earth is that wool sticking out of your ears? Have you theear-ache?"

  "Oh, Nursie, I only put it there to keep my poetry from coming out."

  "Well, I never did!" said Nursie, holding up her hands in surprise. "Youare the _queerest_ child!"

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