"All wet, papa?"
"Shiny wet, Sonnie-Boy, and blowing their cheeks out like so many blub-blubs."
"What's blub-blubs, papa?"
"A blub-blub is a fat little fish who takes big long gulps deep down in the ocean and then comes to the top o' the water, and, when he sees anybody watching him, puffs out his cheeks and goes—blub-blub! like that."
"Like men sometimes, papa?"
"Just like. Well, by 'n' by there were twelve o' the Little Men in green coats, and they sat under the mango-tree all in a row and looked at me, and the one at the head o' the row puts up one finger, with his head to one side and his little round eye rolling out at me, and he says: 'Did Sonnie-Boy's godfather send him that steam-engine from Japan yet, what you told us about? 'Cause if he did, we have a fine pome about it.'
"'Yes, he did send him a fine steam-engine from Japan,' I said, 'and you go on and let me hear your pome, and if it's a good pome I'll give you all a fine ripe mango to eat.' And so they all puffs out their fat little cheeks and they begins:
"'Godfather bought him an engine, red and black,
It wabbles slightly and the wheels don't track——'"
"But it don't, papa, 'n' the wheels do track."
"But that's what they said.