CHANTECLER [_Seeing him, with noble courtesy._] Young blue-winged stranger, with new-fledged bill, thanks! Pray lay my duty at her coral feet! [_The_ PIGEON _flies off._] THE BLACKBIRD Jolly your admirers, it pays! CHANTECLER [_In a cordial voice, to the whole barnyard._] To work now, all of you, with a will! [_A_ FLY _darts past, buzzing._] CHANTECLER Busy and resonant Fly, I love thee! Behold her! What is her flight but the heart-whole gift of herself? THE TURKEY [_Loftily._] Yes.--She has dropped considerably in my esteem, however, since that matter of the-- CHANTECLER Of the what? THE TURKEY Of the Fly and the-- CHANTECLER I never thought much of that story. Who knows whether the coach would have reached the top of the hill without the Fly? Do you believe that rude shouts “Gee up! Ge’ lang!” were more effective than the hymn to the Sun buzzed by the little Fly? Do you believe in the virtue of a blustering oath? Really believe it was the Coachman who made the coach to go? No, I tell you, no! She did much more than the big whip’s noisy cracking, did the little Fly, with the music straight from her buzzing heart! THE TURKEY Yes, but all the same-- CHANTECLER [_Turning his back on him._] Come, let us make of labour a delight! Come, all of you!--High time, Ganders my worthies, you escorted your geese to the pond. A GANDER [_Lazily._] Is it quite necessary, do you think? CHANTECLER [_Going briskly towards him, with a look that forbids discussion._] Quite! And let there be no idle quacking and paltering! [_The_ GANDERS _go off in haste._] You, Chicken, your task, as you know, is to pick off slugs, your full number before evening being thirty-two.--You, Cockerel, go practise your crow. Four hundred times cry Cock-a-doodle-doo in hearing of the echo! THE COCKEREL [_Slightly mortified._] The echo--? CHANTECLER That is what I was doing to limber up my glottis before I was rid of the egg-shell sticking to my tail! A HEN [_Airily._] None of this is particularly interesting! CHANTECLER Everything is interesting! Pray go and sit on the eggs you have been entrusted with! [_To another_ HEN.] You, walk among the roses and verbenas, and gobble every creature threatening them. Ha, ha! If the caterpillar thinks we will make him a gift of our flowers he can stroke his belly--with his back! [_To another._] You, hie to the rescue of cabbages in old neglected corners, where the grasshopper lays siege to them with his vigorous battering-ram! [_To the remaining_ HENS.] You--[_Catching sight of the_ OLD HEN, _whose shaking, senile head has lifted the basket-lid._] Ah, there you are, Nursie! Good day! [_She gazes at him admiringly._] Well, have I grown? THE OLD HEN Sooner or later, tadpole becomes toad! CHANTECLER True! [_To the _HENS,_ resuming his tone of command._] Ladies, stand in line! Your orders are to peck in the fields. Off at a quick-step, go! THE WHITE HEN [_To the_ GREY HEN.] Are you coming?