Tee. [Lugubriously.] It’s the Feast of Lanterns, Mee-Mee.
Mee. H’m! Dat not sad.
New. Yes it is, if you’ve no money to spend on it.
Re-enter Tikipu. He goes back to his work, ignoring Mee-Mee.
Mee. What for you want to spend money? You talk, you walk, you run about and you play, you sing and you dance. Dat evellyt’ing to make you happy—in de worl’.
Lil. How can one sing if one has nothing to sing about?
Mee. You sing about yo’self. All de worl’ sing about itself: how nice to be oneself. Dat not true? I sing—I show you! [She prepares centre of stage for dance and song.] Dis goin’ to be velly beautiful, but it cost not’ing! Dere’s a river; dere’s a lily; an’ dis is me—and dere is you all lookin’ like ducks on de water. Yes.... Now!
[Takes guitar and sings.
‘Will you have a sing-song, a lill’-song, a long-song?’
Cly de ducks aquacking on de Ying-Kai banks.