The rehearsal proceeded: Jack Head, as the Bear, was restored to life and slain again with much detail. Then Ned proceeded—
"I fought the Russian Bear
And brought him to the slaughter;
By that I won fair Sabra,
The King of Egypt's daughter.
Where is the man that now will me defy?
I'll cut his giblets full of holes and make his buttons fly."
"And when I've got my sword, of course 'twill be much finer," concluded Ned.
Mr. Gollop here raised an objection.
"I don't think the man ought to tell about cutting anybody's giblets full of holes," he said; "no, nor yet making their buttons fly. 'Tis very coarse, and the gentlefolks wouldn't like it."
"Nonsense, Tom," answered the vicar, "it's all in keeping with the play. There's no harm in it at all."
"Evil be to them as evil think," said Jack Head. "Now comes the song, reverend Masterman, and I was going to propose that the Bear, though he's dead as a nit, rises up on his front paws and sings with the rest, then drops down again—eh, souls?"
"They'll die of laughing if you do that, Jack," declared Vivian. "I vote for it."
But Dennis firmly refused permission and addressed his chorus.
"Now, girls, the song—everybody joins. The other songs are not written yet, so we need not bother about them till next time."