"'Mary had a little lamb,
Its fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went
The lamb was sure to go.'
"That's lovely! I wish I'd a lamb. I think I'll buy one with my sixpence. Won't it be nice? And I can keep it in the garden, and me and Reggie can take it out for a walk. Oh, and have a blue ribbon round its neck and a sash on! He shall have my blue sash, and I'll save it some of my milk from breakfast. Unless it's chocolate creams. How many should I get for sixpence? Loads, I should think! I love chocs., but I'd like a lamb too! I'll buy them both--a lamb and some chocs. Lemme see now. What was I saying? Oh, my poetry.
"'It followed her to school one day'--
Oh, and take it to school. Won't it be fun? What will Miss Primmer say when she sees my lamb? She won't say nothing to a dear, darling little lamb! I love lambs! Me and Reggie will have some wool off it to make some stockings for Pa. I'll make them all by myself, and Pa will think I'm dreffle clever, won't he? And some for Ma, and Uncle Dick. Oh, and Aunt Euphemia shall have some for her niggers. Where's my sixpence gone? It was in my pocket. Oh, here it is! What do they put the Queen's head on it for? And a crown. It does look funny, as though it would tumble off. I wish I was the Queen and wore a crown. I'd have lots of sixpences. I'd go to Miss Primmer's and give all the little girls one each, and then they could all have a lamb each and some chocs. And I'd have lots of chocs.--loads of them. I wish it was to-morrow to spend my sixpence."
Nellie sat gazing dreamily into the nursery fire, with wide-open blue eyes, "Lemme say my poetry again.
"'Mary had a little lamb'--
With a blue sash on. What shall I call my lamb?" She went on gazing with loving eyes at her bright new sixpence. "I think I'll call her the Queen. You won't mind my calling my lamb after you, do you?" she said to her Majesty, who was looking very dignified indeed; at least, as dignified as it was possible to look when she had to hold her head as stiff as possible to keep the crown from toppling off. It must have given her a crick in her neck.
Her Majesty smiled graciously.
"Oh, not at all, don't mention it," she said politely.
"Thank you so much," said Nellie, who was sitting in front of the fire with her hands clasped across her knee.