“Thank you,” replied the close housekeeper,
“Since you and I last autumn parted,
I’ve been a precious sleeper,
And never stirred nor started,
But in my hole I lay as snug
As fleas within a rug;
Nor did I put my head abroad
Till all the snow and ice were thawed.”
“But I,” rejoined the bird,
“Who love cold weather just as well as you,