We do not part with the book as a friend.
Finis! The word seems ironical sport,
It is not finished, but snapt off short,
Like the poor maid's nose by the blackbird's beak
In the "Song of Sixpence." That tale was weak,
Ending in nought, like an alley blind.
But our story-spinners appear to find
Their moral there. Their tales don't close,
But break off short—like the poor maid's nose!
Ah me! for a few of the fine old chaps