"Well, it's better than nothing," said the Great Green Grasshopper's wife, "and you certainly have some excuse this time. Now let's begin." She climbed a little higher in the hedge, tapped sharply with one hind leg, and looked about her. "Are you all ready?" she said. "Drums?" "Here!" said the Beetles. "First violin?" "Here!" said the Field Cricket. "Second violin?" "Here!" said the House Cricket. "Viola?" "Here!" said the Wood Cricket. "'Cello?" "Here!" said the Mole Cricket. "Flutes?" "Here!" said the Bush-cheeps. "Grass-blade?" "Here!" said Winnie, screwing her lips up very tight. "Good!" said the Great Green Grasshopper's wife, and she reared herself up backwards and began to beat time with her hind legs. "Two bars first," she said. "Now!" At the third bar they all came in very fairly together, but before they had played half a minute the Great Green Grasshopper's wife stopped short. ("It was really worse than the real waits," Winnie explained. "It was like a million little glass stoppers being squeaked out of bottles--and they didn't seem to mind the time a bit.") The Great Green Grasshopper's wife looked at Winnie quite severely. "I asked you to play softly," she said; "you're drowning the whole band." [Illustration: THE FIRST NOTE SENT THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S WIFE'S HIND LEGS STRAIGHT UP IN THE AIR] "I _can't_ play more softly than that," said Winnie. "Well, there's only one thing to be done then," said the Great Green Grasshopper's wife. "I must hunt up the Skipjacks." The Skipjacks are the little grasshoppers who live in the fields, and it takes quite a number of them to play a tune that you can hear. [Illustration: HE HAD BACKED OUT OF HIS HOLE A LITTLE WAY AND LIFTED UP HIS WING-COVERS] "Wait for me here," said the Great Green Grasshopper's wife; "I sha'n't be long!" And she leapt like a jump-jim-crow and landed three yards clear of the hedge. She really was some time away, but at last she reappeared driving the Skipjacks in front of her. "It is so troublesome to keep them straight," she explained; "the little idiots! Look at them." [Illustration: THE GREAT GREEN GRASSHOPPER'S WIFE REARED HERSELF UP BACKWARDS AND BEGAN TO BEAT TIME WITH HER HIND LEGS] They certainly were a queer flock to manage, for they could only move by jumps, and when they jumped even they themselves had no idea of where they were jumping to. However, by driving them in front of her she managed to keep a few of them together, and at last she got them into their places. "You must fiddle," she said, "as you never fiddled before. The band shall _not_ be beaten by a grass-blade. Now altogether--_one, two, three, four_!" It was really much better that time, and though Winnie could not pick up the tune, everybody else seemed quite pleased with themselves. "_That's_ better!" said the Great Green Grasshopper's wife. "Now again!"