Doretta begins:
"Maitre corbeau, sur un arbre perche,
Tenait en son bec un fromage;
Maitre…maitre…maitre…"
"Go on."
"Maitre…"
"Maitre renard."
"Oh, yes, now I remember:
Maitre renard, par l'odeur alleche,
Lui tint a peu pres ce langage:
He! bonjour…"
At this point Doretta, seeing that her father is not listening to her, breaks off her recitation. Signor Odoardo has, in fact, closed the book upon his forefinger, and is looking elsewhere.
"Well, Doretta," he absently inquires, "why don't you go on?"
"I'm not going to say any more of it," she answers sullenly.