"Hush!" said Anne; "hear the chorus."
Oh, de North Carolina rose!
Oh, plant by our veranda
De North Carolina rose!"
This chorus was repeated with three times three, and the whole assembly broke into a general laugh, when the performers bowed and retired, and the white sheet, which was fastened by a pulley to the limb of a tree, was let down again.
"Come, now, Anne, confess that wasn't all Dulcimer's work!" said Clayton.
"Well, to tell the truth," said Anne, "'twas got up between him and Lettice, who has a natural turn for versifying, quite extraordinary. If I chose to encourage and push her on, she might turn out a second Phillis Wheatly."
Dulcimer and his coadjutors now came round, bearing trays with lemonade, cake, sliced pine-apples, and some other fruits.
"Well, on my word," said Russel, "this is quite prettily got up!"