Pupil: I don’t think so; they liked to see their side win; the lovers won in this case, but were drowned; I don’t think they would have liked it that way.
Teacher: If they are going to get away from the father, they ought to get away clear. I think that is true; things end simply in the old ballads, it is an out-and-out tragedy or a happy ending.
Pupil: They had some death, like Johnnie Armstrong, where the hero was killed.
Teacher: How was he killed?
Pupil: By treachery.
Teacher: Was there any here?
Pupil: No.
Teacher: Were they killed through anybody’s fault, or by accident?
Pupil: By accident.
Teacher: How is it in the old ballads?