“My DEAR—what are you singing there?”
“Oh—certainly—aunt.”
“Ve-e-enus—Venus—comes down to dark earth.”
“Ve-he-he-nus appears—to light she gives birth.”
“Ra-ta—PLAN—Marie!”
“Each soldier says it—each soldier vows.”
“Mademoiselle! I beg. Now pray begin all over again—and when you come down at the end of the sixth line—to ‘sigh’—mind you sigh just like Venus.”
“Oh—I can’t. Oh—I won’t. I like the sound of the drum better. There! Rub-a-dub-dub-dub—Rataplan—rataplan.”
“How dare you?”
“Rataplan—rataplan—rataplan.”