"Spoon, my love," began the Dish once more, "shall we ask the Cat and Fiddle to sing and play for us, while we dance?"
"Certainly, my sweet," said the Spoon, and added coyly, "I am sure if you asked them, they could refuse you nothing."
"I can sing and play as well as they can and better," bawled the Cow again through the window. "My top notes reach the stars."
"You may all sing and play till you're hoarse for all I care!" said the little Dog.
"Hey, diddle, diddle! don't let's pay any attention to him," squeaked the Fiddle.
"But we may as well oblige the others," said the Cat.
So the Cat and the Fiddle struck up a lively tune in which they each strove as to who would squeak the highest. The Dish and the Spoon danced and klinked blissfully together on the centre of the kitchen table.
As the music got louder and louder, and wilder and wilder, the little Dog joined in the dance, and at last even the Cow tossed up her four legs and started dancing too.
"Spoon, my love, see how high I can spring," said the Dish, coming down on the table with such a thud that he nearly cracked from top to bottom. "When I do that again," he added in a lower voice, "it will be the signal for you to run away with me. What a night we are having!" and he twirled round faster than ever.
"Yes, my sweet," answered the Spoon, "everything that you do is right. Wherever you run I will run too. I would that I could spring as high as you do," and she turned gracefully on her handle.