W’en ‘ere’s a party at our place
   I’m never ‘lowed a teeny peep;
My mammy says ‘at ‘ittle girls
   Are best in bed ‘n’ fast asleep.
‘Ere’s folk keep ringing at our door,
   ‘N’ all the house is full of lights,
‘Ere’s g’eat big men in funny coats,
   ‘N’ ladies, on our party nights,
All d’ess’d with lots ‘n’ lots of lace;
W’en ‘ere’s a party at our place.

‘Ere’s singing in our drawing-room;
   ‘N’ f’om my bed I hear them play,
‘N’ ‘en I hear my daddy laugh,
   Is like if he were miles away.
It’s not so vewy wrong to slip
   From bed, is like a ‘ittle mouse;
‘Cos it’s so cweepy by myself,
   Alone upstairs in ‘at big house;
But bogey men’s af’aid to chase
Wee girls, w’en folks is at their place.

‘N’ ‘en, on my tip-toes I cweep
   ‘Way down the passage to the stair,
‘N’ stand ist at the top for quite
   A long, long time, ‘n’ listen there.
I hear my daddy laugh ‘n’ talk,
   ‘N’ mammy sing. . . .My gwacious me!
W’en I grow up, ‘n’ ask some folk
   To parties, ‘ittle girls won’t be
Left out, ist like they’re in disgwace,
W’en ‘ere’s a party at my place.

"Den"
The Gadfly, 21 January 1906, p18