"However," he resumed, after a moment's pause, "I think we will call them eggs to-day. I presume they were all eggs when we made the bargain. To-morrow we will get them all down, and you, Phonny, may make a pretty little coop for them in some sunny corner in the yard." Phonny had by this time become so much interested in the poultry, that he proposed to Stuyvesant to let him have half the care of them, and offered to give Stuyvesant half of his squirrel in return. Stuyvesant said that he did not care about the squirrel, but that he would give him a share of the hen-house contract for half the shop. Phonny gladly agreed to this, and so the boys determined that the first thing for the next day should be, to put the shop and the tools all in complete order, and the next, to make the prettiest hen-coop they could contrive, in a corner of the yard. This they did, and Beechnut got the hen and the chickens down and put them into it. The brood was very large, there being twelve chickens in it, and they were all very pretty chickens indeed. CHAPTER IX. THE ACCIDENT. About a week after the occurrences related in the last chapter, Mrs. Henry was sitting one morning at her window, at work. It was a large and beautiful window, opening out upon a piazza. The window came down nearly to the floor, so that when it was open one could walk directly out. There was a sort of step, however, which it was necessary to go over. Mrs. Henry had a little table at the window, and she was busy at her work. There was a basket on the floor by her side. Malleville was sitting upon the step. She had quite a number of green leaves in her lap, which she had gathered in the yard. She said that she was going to put them into a book and press them. Just then she heard Phonny's voice around a corner, calling to her. "Malleville! Malleville!" said the voice, calling loudly. Malleville hastily gathered up her leaves, and called out, "What, Phonny? I'm coming." Before she got ready to go, however, Phonny appeared upon the piazza. "Malleville," said he, "come and see our chickens." "Well," said Malleville, "I will come." "And mother, I wish you would come out and see them, too," said Phonny. "I have seen them once," said his mother, "only two or three days ago." "But, mother, they are a great deal larger now," replied Phonny. "I wish you _could_ come and see them. You don't know how large they have grown." "Very well," said Mrs. Henry, "I will come." So she laid aside her work, and stepping out into the piazza, she followed Phonny and Malleville around the corner of the house. Phonny walked fast, with long strides, Malleville skipped along by his side, while Mrs. Henry came on after them at her leisure.