Daughter: “Mother, mother, may I go to play?”
Mother: “No! daughter, no! for fear you should stay.”
D.: “Only as far as the garden gate,
To gather flowers for my wedding day.”
M.: “Make a fine curtsy, and go your way.”
Upon this they all curtsy and scamper off, appearing delighted at being allowed to go, and before out of hearing of the mother exclaim, “Now what shall we do?” and proceed to plan some mischief or game to play as soon as they are out of sight. Presently they return to the mother looking rather crestfallen, pretending they have stayed away too long; then the mother asks them sharply:
“Now where have you been?”
D.: “Up to Uncle John’s.”
M.: “What for?”
D.: “Half a loaf, half a cheese, and half a pound of butter.”
M.: “Where’s my share?”
D.: “Up in cupboard.”
M.: “ ’Tisn’t there then!”
D.: “Then the cat eat it.”
M.: “And where’s the cat?”
D.: “Up on the wood.” (i.e. the faggots.)
M.: “And where’s the wood?”
D.: “Fire burnt it.”
M.: “Where’s the fire?”
D.: “Water douted it.” (i.e. put it out.)
M.: “Where’s the water?”
D.: “Ox drank it.”
M.: “Where’s the ox?”
D.: “Butcher killed it.”[1]
M.: “And where’s the butcher?”
D.: “Behind the door cracking nuts, and you may eat the shells of them if you like.”
Here the mother becomes very indignant and runs after her daugh-
- ↑ A great deal of this is similar to the widely-known story of the “Old Woman and her Pig.”
