THE
THREE
BEARS

and she made a nice little graceful CURTSY to
the second, and said with a pitiful voice—
‘MISTER BEAR, I pray you FORBEAR!’

and then sharp she gave a little nop or a Bow to
the wre WEE Bear, and caught him a wee wEE Box
on his wre wEE Ear, and said—

‘LITTLE BEARIKINS, I don’t care whether you rorBEAR
or not!’

and away, down the stairs and out at the door, and
away away—to her mammy home she ran.

Then the three bears looked at each other, and
the first said—

‘DEAR!’

and the second said—

‘DEAR!’

and the third, rubbing his ear, said—

‘DEAR!’

and all together concluded that little girls of the
nineteenth century were so impudent that it was
no longer possible for well-conducted bears to live
in the forests of Old England.

198