“Oh! you stupid boy, Tommy! You should have put it on a nice white plate and covered it with a piece of white paper.”
“Oh! I’ll do better next time, Mother; I’ll do better next time.”
A few days after, his Mother said: “Tommy, Farmer Jones has given us a little hen. Will you go and fetch it?”
“Oh! yes,” said Tommy. Off he went, fetched the little hen, and put it on a white plate; but before he could put a nice piece of white paper over it, it had flown quite away!
When he got home, his Mother said: “Well, Tommy, and where is the little hen?”
“Oh! Mother, I did what you told me; I put it on a white plate, but before I could cover it with a piece of paper it flew quite away.”
“Oh! you stupid boy, Tommy! You stupid boy! You ought to have put it in a wicker basket and shut down the lid.”
“I’ll do better next time, Mother; I’ll do better next time.”
A few days after, his Mother said: “Tommy, there is a plum pudding for dinner. Go and fetch a pound of brown sugar.”
Off went Tommy, bought the pound of sugar, and put it in a wicker basket, and shut the lid down tight. When he got home his Mother said: “Well, Tommy, and where’s the sugar?”