And so, although she tried to keep
Awake, she soon was fast asleep.
When she awoke, her head felt fit
To fall to pieces, and to split;
Her necklace and her clothes were gone,
And she had next to nothing on.
Her hair was short, and was--alack!
No longer fair, but bluish black!
And she herself was--only think!
Spotted all over brown and pink!
Too scared to cry, she rose and saw
A giant, dwarf, and several more.
In fact, it soon was pretty plain
These wicked men had stolen Jane,
And meant to use her as a show,
Dressed as a "spotted child," you know.
She struggled hard to be polite;
"Pray, sirs," she asked, "can this be right?"
"You 'old your bloomin' row!" they said,
And rudely cuffed her on the head.

[Illustration: "'_Pray, sirs,' she asked,
'can this be right?_'"]

[Illustration: "_Quite fond of Ann_"]

When Jane's Mama at length returned,
How dreadful was the news she learned!
Her child was gone!--And it was vain
To seek and search and call for Jane!
They hunted for her everywhere--
They even sought her at the fair;
But days went by, and then a week,
So that it seemed no use to seek.
Oddly enough--Mama began
Really to feel quite fond of Ann,
Now that there was no virtuous Jane
To carry tales and to complain.
And Ann felt sorry for her Aunt
Altho' she said: "I really can't
Conceive why it should cause her pain
To lose a little pig like Jane!"
Now that Ann's Aunt was left in peace
She made excuses for her niece;
If she were noisy at her play,
She said, "I like to see her gay."
And if she grew a trifle wild,
She only shook her head and smiled.
When Ann's Papa returned, one day,
And came to fetch his child away,
Mama was grieved to lose her niece,
And proffered her a guinea-piece,
Saying: "You must stay longer, when
You come to visit me again."
Now all this time, poor Jane, we know,
Was made a laughing-stock and show.
They told her, did she dare explain
That she was only little Jane,
And not a spotted girl at all,
They'd beat her till she couldn't crawl.
She had to wait on all the rest,
And had to do her very best;

[Illustration: "_Proffered her a guinea-piece_"]

[Illustration: "_She had to wait on all the rest_"]

So that, she sometimes quite forgot
Whether her back was straight or not!
And even, so the story goes,
Sometimes forgot to point her