He ordered that all the seats should be taken out of the hall so that they could play games and use the toys which the Statesmen had brought; he had, moreover, insisted on the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee going down on his hands and knees and giving him a ride on his back all round the room. Then they had gone out on to the Terrace which was outside the House of Words and by which the river ran, and the King had screamed with delight when, at Boy’s suggestion, all the old gentlemen played at leapfrog, doing their best to look dignified in these trying circumstances; then when they were all tired out, they went back to the hall again and sat in a ring on the floor looking quite exhausted, while the King demanded Nursery Rhymes. The Busybody Extraordinary, who had been exerting himself more than all the others in his efforts to please the King, immediately commenced to repeat the following:--= ``"Sing a song of sixpence, ```A pocket full of Rye, ``About a foolish serving maid, ```To tell you I will try.= ``"The King was in his counting-house ```Bemoaning lack of money, ``The Knave was in the pantry ```Stealing bread and honey.= ``"The Queen was in her tiring-room ```Just trying a new dress, ``'The last one isn’t paid for yet,’ ```I heard the Queen confess.= ``"The maid was in the garden ```Hanging out the clothes, ``While four-and-twenty dicky birds ``She balanced on her nose.= [Illustration: 0131] ``"And while the birdies sat there, ```This maid began to sing. ``'I say, you know, I can’t stand that,’ ```Called out the angry King.= ``"The maid she sang so out of tune ```It nearly drove him mad, ``So the Chamberlain discharged her, ```And every one was glad."= “Aren’t you going to repeat the moral?” asked the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee when he had finished. “There isn’t one,” said the Busybody Extraordinary. “Yes, there is; in fact, there are four morals to it,” said the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee. “Aren’t there?” he asked, appealing to the others, who nodded. “What are they then?” said the Busybody Extraordinary. ``"Don’t always wear your Sunday clothes, ```Or it will make you vain.= “That’s one,” replied the Advertiser General. ``"Don’t balance birds upon your nose, ```Or you’ll be thought insane.= “That’s another,” said the Lord High Fiddle-de-dee. ``"If any one sings out of tune, ```It’s not much use to scold. “That’s the third,” chimed in the First Lord of the Cash Box. ``"And if your voice is very harsh, ```Don’t sing unless you’re told.= “And that’s the fourth,” added the Lord High Adjudicator. “More,” shouted the King, clapping his hands, and the Kitchen Poker in Waiting got up and said,-- “I know a short one, Your Majesty.” “Go on,” replied the little King. ``"Hey diddle diddle the cat couldn’t fiddle, ```The cow turned her back on the moon, ``The little dog said, ‘This is very poor sport,’ ```And the dish had a row with the spoon,” repeated the Kitchen Poker in Waiting.