"Don't you know the funny verses about your name?" asked Willy. "No, indeed; do tell me them." Willy then, with as grave a face as he could put on, repeated the following lines:-- "'Elizabeth, Elsebeth, Bet, Betsey, and Bess, All went together to seek a bird's nest: When they found it, there were five eggs in; They each took one, and left four in.'" "Do you call those pretty verses?" said Betsey: "why, they are quite nonsensical." "But they are true," said Willy, "only you don't see the fun of them. It's like a riddle; you told me you were sometimes called Elizabeth, and at other times Betsey, and are you never called Bet and Bess?" "Yes, sometimes," said she; "but not Elsebeth. I never even heard that name." "But it is your name though," replied Willy, "for all that." "Well then, suppose that you went one day to rob a bird's nest?" "But, indeed, I would do no such thing," retorted Betsey, quite offended. "Don't be angry," cried he; "I only said _suppose_." "But I wonder you should _suppose_ I could steal any thing," cried the indignant Betsey. "I only said so to make you understand the fun." "Pho, pho, nonsense," cried Johnny, "it's only make-believe. Well, let me be Betsey, and then you may suppose what you please." But Betsey did not seem to like to give up her name to Johnny; the truth is, that when she found that her eldest brother did not think there was any harm in _supposing_, she allowed Willy to suppose in her own name. "Well then," continued Willy, "remember that you went alone to the nest and took out an egg." "Oh yes," said Betsey, "_I by myself, I_." "Then," said Willy, "who was it took out the egg?" "Why, I, Betsey, to be sure." "And did not Elizabeth take out one also?" "Yes, because that's me too." "And did not Elsebeth, Betsey, and Bess also take out eggs?" "Yes, but that's all me." "Well then," continued Willy, "were not five eggs taken out of the nest, and four left in?" Betsey laughed; she understood the joke pretty well, though she could not explain it. But Johnny said, there was only one person who went to the nest, but she had five names, so when she had taken out one egg there were four left in. The three children then went to take a stroll on the gravel walks, and see if they could not meet any friends, but they saw nobody they knew, because, as they did not live at Derby, they did not know many people there. "If it had been Sunday we should have seen many," said Betsey, "but the people on working days are tired after working at the factory, or have other things to do at home. Oh! if you had been here last Easter Monday, what would you have said? Why, there were hundreds and thousands! Were there not, Johnny?"