Nero appeared to understand what was required of him, and he sat motionless as a statue for a while, but before long the peculiar nervous irritation to which monkeys appear to be subject attacked him, and he began a series of spasmodic researches in natural history all over his ribs.
"Nero's making up for lost time," said young Jack; "look how he is getting to work."
Nero was indeed scratching away furiously.
"There's diligence," laughed young Jack; "now he's busy."
And then he broke off into the following appropriate snatch—
"He'll catch the flee—he'll catch the flee—
He'll catch the fleeting hour."
Down went the curtain.
There was a general laugh at this.
"When we asked you to show us the live stock," said Dick Harvey, "you took us too literally, Monday."
"Yah, yah!"