Old Primrose 127

He is very clever—I really think there’s
nothing he doesn’t know. Rooster !”

“What is it, my dear?” said Rooster
the cock; “you mustn’t keep me—I’ve a
train to catch—very important business!.. .
Eh—egg big enough for Mr. Primrose—
dear me, dear me! No—I really feel that
the strain on your mind would be too great.
You want rest.

“I assure you she worries herself so,” he
said, turning to old P. ‘And the ser-
vants are such a trouble. Tell you what
though—we might collect all the cast-off
eggs from under this stack; and there’s
little Zedekiah’s—he will not require it any
more; and—here, you youngsters, aren't
you getting up yet?” Here Mr. Rooster
tapped at all the eggs in the nest; and
there was a chorus of ‘All right, pa—out
in a minute or two.”

So old P. collected a great many broken
eggs, and, sticking the pieces together
with stamp-edging, made himself a mag-
nificent egg, large enough to creep: into;
then he neatly closed up the hole from in-