As he was coming out, after having with some difficulty restored order, his little boy came running up to him, with his bag of books on his back, on his way to school, saying eagerly—
"I don't want to be dainty, papa, only it is tiresome to have nothing but bacon, when there are such lots of eggs."
"How do you know there are lots of eggs, my boy?"
"Because I hear the hens cackling every day, papa. This morning there was such a noise before I got up."
"Where did the noise come from, Ralph?"
"From the hen-house, papa."
"Are you quite sure, Ralph?"
"Quite, papa! Oh, I know they don't lay anywhere else, for I have looked so often to see if any of them laid their eggs in the garden. I looked this morning before breakfast."
"Very well, my boy; run off to school now. Perhaps we may find out soon where the hens do lay their eggs; but you had better not say anything about it to your schoolfellows."