Page:Carroll - Rhyme and Reason.djvu/51

Rh He said "It really wouldn't pay—
 * Folk are so full of fancies.

We visit for a single day, And whether then we go, or stay,
 * Depends on circumstances.

"And, though we don't consult 'Mine Host'
 * Before the thing's arranged,

Still, if he often quits his post, Or is not a well-mannered Ghost,
 * Then you can have him changed.

"But if the host's a man like you—
 * I mean a man of sense;

And if the house is not too new—" "Why, what has that," said I, "to do
 * With Ghost's convenience?"

"A new house does not suit, you know-
 * It's such a job to trim it:

But, after twenty years or so, The wainscotings begin to go,
 * So twenty is the limit."