Mr. Gollop here raised an objection.
"I don't think the man ought to tell about cutting anybody's giblets full of holes," he said; "no, nor yet making their buttons fly. 'Tis very coarse, and the gentlefolks wouldn't like it."
"Nonsense, Tom," answered the vicar, "it's all in keeping with the play. There's no harm in it at all."
"Evil be to them as evil think," said Jack Head. "Now comes the song, reverend Masterman, and I was going to propose that the Bear, though he's dead as a nit, rises up on his front paws and sings with the rest, then drops down again—eh, souls?"
"They'll die of laughing if you do that, Jack," declared Vivian. "I vote for it."
But Dennis firmly refused permission and addressed his chorus.
"Now, girls, the song—everybody joins. The other songs are not written yet, so we need not bother about them till next time."
The girls, glad of something to do, sang vigorously, and the song went well. Then the Turkish Knight was duly slain, restored and slain again.
"We can't finish to-night," declared Dennis, looking at his watch, "so I'm sorry to have troubled you to come, Mrs. Hacker, and you, Voysey."
"They haven't wasted their time, however, because Head and I have showed them what acting means," said Nathan. "And when you do come on, Susan Hacker, you've got to quarrel and pull my beard, remember; then we make it up afterwards."