Round about, round about, in a fine ring-a:
Thus we dance, thus we dance, and thus we sing-a:
Trip and go, to and fro, over this green-a,
All about, in and out, for our brave queen-a.
Round about, round about, in a fine ring-a:
Thus we dance, thus we dance, and thus we sing-a:
Trip and go, to and fro, over this green-a,
All about, in and out, for our brave queen-a.
We have danc’d round about in a fine ring-a:
We have danced lustily, and thus we sing-a,
All about, in and out, over this green-a,
To and fro, trip and go, to our brave queen-a.
* * * * *
Nymphidia and all the maids of honour having sung this little song to
their queen, Oberon thought it was time that Bottom should be made to
tell a tale, and he, you may be sure, made a clumsy enough figure as he
took his seat on the tale-teller’s stool, scratched his head and said,
“he didn’t know any fairy tales.” He tried to get away but could not
rise until the King would let him; then when he did not begin quickly
enough, Titania whispered to her maids of honour, and Hop, Mop and
Drop, Pip, Drip and Skip, Tub, Tib and Tick, Pink, Pin and Quick, Gill,
Om and Tit, Wap, Win and Mit all danced about poor Bottom, pinching
and pulling and teasing him until he roared again and the whole fairy
kingdom rang with peals of laughter. “Tell ’em about Billy MacDaniel,”
called out Flute, and without any preface Bottom at once began telling
the story of
[Illustration: Bottom]
[Illustration: He took the glass and drained it]