The Fish gasped once or twice, and then, after swallowing a little gruel, he began in a very choky voice:
“O-o-o-b, o-o-o-b, o-o-o-b, Ladles ad Geddlebed——”
The Reporter looked up with a puzzled air. “May I trouble you to repeat that?” he asked, putting his claw to his head. “I didn’t quite catch the last part of the sentence.”
“O-o-o-b, o-o-o-b, I said, Ladles ad Geddlebed,” repeated the Fish, looking rather put out.
“Latin quotation?” asked the Reporter of the Doctor-in-law, who stood near him.
“Partly,” replied the Doctor-in-law. “‘Ladles’ is English, ‘ad’ is Latin, and ‘Geddlebed’ is Dutch, I think. It’s a very clever remark,” he continued.
The Reporter looked greatly impressed, and made a note of what the Doctor-in-law had said, and then waited for the Fish to go on.
The Fish, however, was taking some more gruel, and saying “O-o-o-b” between every spoonful. Presently he choked dreadfully, and, amidst great excitement, had to be helped from the room by the Calf and the Doctor-in-law, who kept thumping him violently on the back all the way to the door.
So soon as they had gone out, the King’s Minstrel jumped up and rapidly began undoing his roll of music.
“I will now oblige you with one of my charming songs,” he said.