Mrs. Beetle. Our nest-egg—Oh, bless me—I hope no one does—our little all.
Mr. Beetle. Wait—stay here and watch it—Watch it careful—don’t let your eyes off it, not for a minute—Capital—Capital.
Mrs. Beetle. Where yer off to?
Mr. Beetle. To look for a hole—a little hole—a deep hole—deep and narrer to bury it in—out of harm’s way—Careful—Careful.[Exit.
Mrs. Beetle. Husband—husband, come back—wait a bit—I’ve found one—such a nice hole—Husband! He ’s gone! If I could only look into it—No, I mustn’t leave yer. But only a peep—Here, stay here good and quiet, darling. Hubby’ll be back soon—in half a jiff, half a jiff—So long, keep good—half a ji—
Enters the lair of the Ichneumon Fly.
Chrysalis. Oh, to be born—to be born—into the great new world.
Enter a Strange Beetle.
Strange Beetle. They’ve gone—now ’s my chance. (Rolls pile away.)
Tramp. ’Ere, mind where yer going to.
Strange Beetle. Mind yer feet.
Tramp. What ’s that yer rolling?
Strange Beetle. Ha, ha! That ’s my capital—my little pile, my all.
Tramp. Bit niffy, ain’t it?
Strange Beetle. Eh?
Tramp. It smells.
Strange Beetle. Capital don’t smell—Off you go, my precious—This way, my little all, my nest-egg, my capital.[Exit.
