No. 98 My Lady Queen Anne
A ball is concealed with some one of the children who form the circle. A girl is placed in the centre, and a dialogue ensues; the ring singing:
“My lady Queen Anne,
She sits in the sun,
As fair as a lily,
As brown as a bun.
The king sends you three letters, and bids you read one.”
The girl answers:
“I cannot read one unless I read all,
So pray, Mr. [or Miss] ——, deliver the ball.”
If the person named has the ball, he or she takes her place; if not, she continues as before. In England, a rhyme is given for the latter case:
“The ball is mine, and none of thine,
So you, proud queen, may sit on your throne,
While we, your messengers, go and come.”