"Of course not," answered the Official Candler; "and if you're not alive, what difference will it make whether it's a thousand years or ten thousand?" "Come, come! We're wasting time," fussed the Blue Hen's Chicken. "To the Packing House jail with him." "I'll stick to him," cried Al Bumen, the policeman, shaking his egg-beater at Billy fiercely; "come along now! There's no use trying to resist, for I have you egg-sactly where I want you." And Billy, seeing that it was indeed useless to try to escape as things then were, went sulkily off, with Al Bumen's moist hand in his collar. "Please take your sticky fingers off of my neck," said he; "I won't try to run." "You promise?" asked Al Bumen. "I do, cross my heart and hope to die," said Billy eagerly. "Well, I don't believe you, I can't believe any body in Eggs-Aggeration." Poor Billy hung his head in shame as he was led along the street like a common criminal. He tried two or three times to pull away, but Al Bumen's arm would stretch out like a rubber band and then "snap," Billy would bounce back like a return ball. "There, now, what did I tell you," said Al Bumen, "that's the second time that you have tried to escape and you said you wouldn't." "But you wouldn't take my word." "Of course not, I have no use for your word, I have plenty of my own. And anyway, how could you keep your word if you gave it to me." My, my, my, what a day it was for the inhabitants of Eggs-Aggeration. They had seen Eggs beaten, and taken up by the Police, but never a boy. The Scramble Egg children tumbled along at Billy's side, shouting and rolling over and over in their glee. Mothers brought their little cradled Egg babies out to see him pass--even poor "Addle," the village egg idiot, made faces at him; only Billy felt sorry for him because he could see that he was cracked. But when some of the bad little street boys threw stones at him, even Al Bumen was angry--indeed, they barely missed his head two or three times. "Stop it," he cried, "I know you every one, you are the Strictly boys." "How do you know them?" asked Billy, for they looked like any other eggs to him. "Do you think I can't recognize a fresh egg when I see him--oh! I know them--their mother thinks because they have had their names in the grocer's window that they can't turn out bad, but I've known some terrible ones in that family." Billy felt almost relieved when they reached the jail. "In with you," said Al Bumen. "By the way, have you ever had the Chicken Pox?" "No, sir," said Billy. "Well, you must be vaccinated at once; I wouldn't have you catch it and break out now that you are safely here." "I warn you I shall try to," said Billy, in a temper. "I give you leave to try, but it's useless to try to leave--you can thank your lucky stars you weren't put in the incubator instead of in here." "The incubator?" asked Billy.