Knowing from past experience that the Zankiwank would have his own way, Maude and Willie, having no one else to think about, thought of Nobody, and to their amazement they heard these words sung as from a long way off, in a very hollow tone of voice:—
Nobody's Nothing to Nobody.
O Nobody's Nothing to Nobody,
And yet he is something too;
Though No-body's No-Body it yet is so odd he
Always finds nothing to do!
When Nobody does nothing wrong,
They say it is the cat;
Though Nobody be long and strong
And very likely fat.
His name is heard from morn till night,
He's known in ev'ry place;
He does the deeds that are unright,
Though no one sees his face.
Nobody broke the Dresden vase,
Nobody ate the cream;
Nobody smashed that pipe of pa's,—
It happened in a dream.
Nobody lost Sophia's doll,
Nobody fired Jim's gun;
Nobody nearly choked poor Poll—
Nobody saw it done!
Nobody cracks the china cups,
Nobody steals the spoons;
Nobody in the kitchen sups,
Or talks of honeymoons!
Nobody courts the parlour-maid,
She told us so herself!
That Nobody, I'm much afraid,
Is quite a tricky elf.
For Nobody is any one,
That must be very clear;
Yet Nobody's a constant dun,
Though no one saw him here.
As Nobody is ever seen
In Anybody's shape,
Nobody must be epicene
And very like an ape!
For Nobody's Nothing to Nobody,
And yet he is something too;
Though No-body's No-Body it yet is so odd he
Always finds nothing to do!
Just as the song was finished, the Zankiwank cried out in alarm—
"There's Somebody coming."