Mr. Sousa (second from the end, o. p. side) obediently began to agitate his bâton, partially scalping Sunny Jim in the process, and the waxworks sang out, fortissimo, with a distinct but unevenly distributed accelerando toward the end,—
"Then send for Mrs. Jarley on the spot!
And she'll reproduce each feature that you've got.
All your business she will see to,
Black your boots, and make your tea, too,
If you'll only put a penny in the slot!"
The tune was good, and the chorus went with a swing. But now a difficulty arose. The second verse should have been sung by one of the late occupants of the back bench—Dorando, to be precise; and Mrs. Jarley, realizing the circumstance, was on the point of beginning it herself, when a muffled voice, proceeding apparently from the infernal regions, struck into the opening lines. Dorando, faint yet pursuing, was evidently determined to fulfil his contract, even if he had to do it on his head. For various reasons (chiefly dust and incipient apoplexy), his articulation was not all that could be desired, and the verse, which told of the ingenious device of one Tommy Sparkes, who, faced by the prospect of corporal punishment,
"Sent for Mrs. Jarley on the spot,
And explained that he was going to get it hot"—
whereupon that resourceful lady
"Made a figure, small and ruddy,
To be Tommy's understudy;
And the figure got—what Tommy should have got!"
was lost upon the audience. But every one took up the chorus with a will, and the third verse entered upon its career under the happiest auspices.
On this occasion the lines were distributed among the figures themselves.
"Now Mrs. Bumble-Doodle gave a ball"—
began Queen Elizabeth;