You are going out to tea today,
So mind how you behave;
Let all accounts I have of you
Be pleasant ones, I crave.
Don't spill your tea or gnaw your bread,
And don't tease one another;
And Tommy mustn't talk too much
Or quarrel with his brother.
Say "If you please" and "Thank you, Nurse;"
Come home at eight o' clock;
And, Fanny, pray be careful that
You do not tear your frock.
Now, mind your manners, children five,
Attend to what I say;
And then perhaps I'll let you go
Again another day.