"All right darling!" She sat down on the bed again and put her arms round the slim figure, who, kneeling with her nose snuggled into the soft, white shoulder, said her "prairses" at express-speed down into Poppy's evening-gown:
"Gen-tuljeesus, meek n' mil',
Lookup pon a little chil';
Pitimysimplisitee,
Suffer me t' come to Thee.
"Our Fath 'CHART in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy King and come, Thy will be done 'Nearth as 'tis 'Neaven. Give us 's day our DAILY BREAD N' forgive us our trespasses 'gainst us. But 'liver us from evil. For Thine's kingdom, Power and GLORY, frever and ever, Amen.
"Our Father, please bless my darling Mummie, and take care of her at the theatre, and my lovely Daddie, and Grannie, and Grandad, and Poppy, and all the servants in this house, and all the little children in the world, and fill our hearts with love 'n kindness, Amen—now I must say my Latins."
Clem was Catholic and Bill Protestant, and the result was a strange medley of prayers for Cinthie. She kneeled up, crossed herself solemnly in Latin, and began to chant the lovely words of the Angelical Salutation:
"Ave Maria! gratia plena, Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Jesus."
"Sancta Maria! Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostræ. Amen."
Afterwards she fell into a peal of laughing.
"Why do you laugh, darling?" Poppy gravely asked, and the answer was:
"Oh, Poppy! Wouldn't Nunc be a funny name for a dog!"