What a decomposed tune might be, Margaret did not know, though, as soon as the dragon began to sing, she saw what a simple matter it was; she felt sure she could decompose one herself. All you had to do, apparently, was to sing the right notes if you could remember them and to fill in with notes of your own when you couldn't. By this time Lobsterneck had arranged his tail to his liking, so Margaret ran back and took her place with the others in front of him, when the dragon, with a preliminary shake to loosen his scales, began to sing: "One day when Margaret went out To walk upon the hill, She saw a lovely purple duck Who had a yellow bill. Said Marg'ret to the purple duck, 'If you'll come home with me, I'll give you beans and buttered toast And sugar in your tea'." "Chorus!" shouted the dragon; when everybody, notwithstanding the fact that they had never heard the chorus before, pitched in and sang: "For, Oh! For, Oh! We're out for a regular spree, And you shall have anything else you like If only you'll come to tea." This chorus they sang after each pair of verses, the rest of which were as follows: "'I'll come,' the purple duck replied, And flapped one little wing, And wagged her tail, she was so glad, And tried her best to sing. But that was more than she could do, And so she merely said, 'Quack, quack!' and wagged her tail again, And jumped about instead. Then Marg'ret said, 'Suppose we go And see what we can find.' So up the hill she walked again, The purple duck behind. They looked behind the stones and trees, They looked behind the wall, And there they found a sky-blue crane, And he was very tall. Said Marg'ret to the sky-blue crane, 'If you'll come home with me, I'll give you macaroni soup And apples with your tea.' 'Ha, ha!' the sky-blue crane replied, And that was all he said, But on the wall he quickly jumped And stood upon his head. And next they saw a chicken house, And Marg'ret looked inside, And there she found a speckled hen And seven chicks beside. Said Marg'ret to the speckled hen, 'If you'll come home with me, I'll give you meat and marmalade And spinach with your tea.' 'Cluck, cluck!' the speckled hen replied. 'And if it won't be rude, I'll come to tea myself,' said she, 'And bring my hungry brood.' Said Marg'ret to the little chicks, 'If you'll come home with me, I'll give you cakes and cream of wheat And malted milk for tea.' 'Peep, peep!' the little chicks replied, 'Our throats are dry with thirst'. 'Then come,' said Marg'ret, 'let us run And see who gets there first.' So down they ran; the sky-blue crane, The purple duck, and then The seven little thirsty chicks Behind the speckled hen.