14.

AT THE COBWEB TEAROOMS

Fiona Rugg and Millie Scroggs

Stop for their elevenses

In the Cobweb Tearooms, run

By Mrs. Kingston-Biggs, poor thing,

Whom fortune forced into the trade,

Who once kept servants by the score—

But that’s another story. Now

She serves up set teas and gâteaux.

You’d never know that Rugg and Scroggs,

So friendly-like they seem, quite loathe

One another. Both of them are

In love with Quickly, the chauffeur,

Who’s made rash promises to both.

But worse to come: Fiona’s sure

That Millie found her locket lying

By the broken statue of Eros.

And Millie knows Fiona has

The negatives of dirty pictures

Whipsnade took in surgery

That day she weakened, Dreadful man!

You can’t trust no one nowadays!

To think he’s got the sauce to marry

Lady Madrigal du Bois!

Millie searches out the pills

She stole from Whipsnade’s shelf, and when

Fiona leaves to freshen up,

She drops them in Fiona’s cup.

That should take care of you, my girl!

Fiona’s back and watching; while

Millie chats with Kingston-Biggs,

Fiona sprinkles something vile

On Millie’s chocolate gâteaux.

An hour later, feeling sickly,

Each is sure she’ll be the one

To scarper off and marry Quickly.