Next to him the eldest daughter:
She suggested very little
Only asked if he would take her
With her look of 'passive beauty-'



Her idea of passive beauty
Was a squinting of the left-eye,
Was a drooping of the right-eye,
Was a smile that went up Sideways
To the corner of the nostrils.


Hiawatha, when she asked him
Took no notice of the question
Looked as if he hadn't heared it;
But, when pointedly appealed to,
Smiled in his peculiar manner,
Coughed and said it 'didn't matter,'
Bit his lip and changed the subject.


Nor in this was he mistaken,
As the picture failed completely.


So in turn the other sisters.