SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE

[Transcriber's note: the illustrations in this book were originally black and white line drawings. They appear to have been colorized by a previous owner of the book.]

Nellie

Uniform in Pretty Cloth Binding.

SING A SONG OF SIXPENCE. MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY. WHERE THE SKY FALLS. ADVENTURES OF KING CLO. A PRINCESS IN DISGUISE. A STRANGER IN THE TEA.

Headpiece

Sing a Song of Sixpence.

A brand new sixpence fresh from the Mint! How it sparkled and glittered in the dancing sunlight! Such a treasure for a small girl to possess! But then, on the other hand, what a heavy responsibility!

Nellie

All day long it had been burning a hole in her pocket, and as for learning lessons, not an idea would enter her head. Everything went in at one ear and out of the other, as Miss Primmer sternly remarked when Nellie could not say her poetry. But, indeed, Nellie did try hard to learn her lessons; she squeezed her eyes together as tightly as possible, though how shutting her eyes was to prevent the lessons from coming out of her ears was not very clear. "But I must learn them now," she sighed, "or Miss Primmer will keep me in to-morrow, and I shan't be able to go out with Nursie and Reggie to spend my sixpence. Oh dear! I wish I could learn my poetry and keep it in, I guess I'd better get a bit of cotton wool to put in my ears and then it can't come out. There, now!

"'Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow,

And everywhere that Mary went

The lamb was sure to go.'

 

"That's lovely! I wish I'd a lamb. I think I'll buy one with my sixpence. Won't it be nice? And I can keep it in the garden, and me and Reggie can take it out for a walk. Oh, and have a blue ribbon round its neck and a sash on! He shall have my blue sash, and I'll save it some of my milk from breakfast. Unless it's chocolate creams. How many should I get for sixpence? Loads, I should think! I love chocs., but I'd like a lamb too! I'll buy them both--a lamb and some chocs. Lemme see now. What was I saying? Oh, my poetry.

"'It followed her to school one day'--

Oh, and take it to school. Won't it be fun? What will Miss Primmer say when she sees my lamb? She won't say nothing to a dear, darling little lamb! I love lambs! Me and Reggie will have some wool off it to make some stockings for Pa. I'll make them all by myself, and Pa will think I'm dreffle clever, won't he? And some for Ma, and Uncle Dick. Oh, and Aunt Euphemia shall have some for her niggers. Where's my sixpence gone? It was in my pocket. Oh, here it is! What do they put the Queen's head on it for? And a crown. It does look funny, as though it would tumble off. I wish I was the Queen and wore a crown. I'd have lots of sixpences. I'd go to Miss Primmer's and give all the little girls one each, and then they could all have a lamb each and some chocs. And I'd have lots of chocs.--loads of them. I wish it was to-morrow to spend my sixpence."

Nellie sat gazing dreamily into the nursery fire, with wide-open blue eyes, "Lemme say my poetry again.

"'Mary had a little lamb'--

With a blue sash on. What shall I call my lamb?" She went on gazing with loving eyes at her bright new sixpence. "I think I'll call her the Queen. You won't mind my calling my lamb after you, do you?" she said to her Majesty, who was looking very dignified indeed; at least, as dignified as it was possible to look when she had to hold her head as stiff as possible to keep the crown from toppling off. It must have given her a crick in her neck.

Her Majesty smiled graciously.

"Oh, not at all, don't mention it," she said politely.

"Thank you so much," said Nellie, who was sitting in front of the fire with her hands clasped across her knee.

"Get up and make your curtsey; I suppose you know how," said her Majesty.

"Oh yes, Miss Primmer always makes us curtsey when we come