“Sit,” corrected Doctor Fox.
“Set,” contradicted Doctor Goose.
“If there had been no hen to hatch the egg,” continued the Donkey, skilfully avoiding a fresh dispute, “the egg experiment must have come to a sudden end.”
“My opinion exactly!” declared Doctor Goose.
“These are the conclusions of Doctor Long-ears. His argument, as written, fills three large books.”
“With pictures?” asked Buddie.
“Without pictures.”
“They must be stupid books,” thought Buddie.
“On the other hand,” resumed the Donkey, “Doctor Heehaw, another learned donkey of my acquaintance, proves just as conclusively that the egg came first. For, he asks, if there had been no egg for the hen to hatch, what was the use of the hen? You may say that the egg may have hatched without the hen. I reply: suppose it had hatched out a rooster?”
“What then?” asked Doctor Fox, anxiously.