H.M.S. "PINAFORE"
Little Buttercup continued:
Two tender babes I nussed,
One was of low condition,
The other "upper crust,"[1]
A regular patrician!
Again the crew said to each other, by way of explaining how the case stood:
Now this is the position—
One was of low condition,
The other a patrician,
A many years ago!
This having been made quite clear to them, Little Buttercup continued the story:
Oh, bitter is my cup,
However could I do it?
I mixed those children up,
And not a creature knew it!
This was quite an inexcusable piece of carelessness on the part of Little Buttercup. If she had any doubt which was which, she could so easily have tied a bit of blue ribbon round the neck of one, and a luggage-label round the neck of the other. The
- ↑ A vulgar expression intended to imply that one of them belonged to a family of some social importance. It is not an expression that I can recommend for general use, but Little Buttercup wanted a rhyme for 'nussed,' and there was no other word handy that would do.
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