'Peep, peep!' the little chicks replied,
'Our throats are dry with thirst'.
'Then come,' said Marg'ret, 'let us run
And see who gets there first.'
So down they ran; the sky-blue crane,
The purple duck, and then
The seven little thirsty chicks
Behind the speckled hen.
The duck had beans and buttered toast
And sugar in her tea;
The crane had macaroni soup
And apples, two or three.
The speckled hen had spinach, too,
And marmalade and meat;
The chicks had cakes and malted milk,
As well as cream of wheat.
A splendid supper had they all,
As much as they could wish;
They emptied every single plate
And cleared off every dish.
And when they'd eaten all they could,
They stood up in a row,
And made a bow to Margaret,
For it was time to go.
'We're very much obliged,' they said.
'We're very glad we came'.
The duck, the crane, the hen, the chicks,
They each one said the same.
And when they all got home again
Upon the hill so steep,
They tucked their heads beneath their wings
And quickly went to sleep.
For, Oh! For, Oh!
We're out for a regular spree,
And you shall have anything else you like
If only you'll come to tea."
At the end of the song, while everybody was applauding and crying, "Encore," the dragon, with his tail hung over his arm, waltzed round and round in a solemn manner until he was out of breath, when he sat down with his back against the tower and fanned himself with the music.