III + 

’Toine was vanquished. He had to hatch; he had to give up playing dominoes; he had to give up all active existence;⁠—for the old woman ferociously cut off his rations every time he broke an egg. + 

So he lived upon his back, with his eyes on the ceiling⁠—motionless⁠—his arms lifted up like wings⁠—while the chicken-germs were warmed against his sides. + 

He only talked in whispers, as if he were as afraid of noise as he was of motion; and he began to feel an anxious sympathy for the yellow hen that followed the same occupation as himself. + 

He would ask his wife: + 

“Did the yellow one eat last night?” + 

And the old woman would keep running from her husband to her chickens, and from her chickens to her husband⁠—terribly busy with the chickens that were being hatched in the nest and in the bed. + 

The country folk who knew the story would come, very seriously and full of curious interest to ask after ’Toine. They would enter on tiptoe as if they were coming into a sick room, and say: + 

“Well, how is it?” + 

’Toine would answer: + 

“Well, it’s doing good enough; but it gives me the itch to be so hot;⁠—makes all my skin creep.” + 

Now, one morning his wife came in, very much excited, and said: + 

“The yellow one has seven. There were three bad.” + 

’Toine felt his heart beat. He wondered how many he was going to have. + 

He asked. + 

“How long before it’ll happen.” + 

The old woman would answer angrily⁠—herself anxious through fear of a failure. + 

“Got to hope so.” + 

They waited. Friends who knew the time was approaching, became anxious. + 

They talked about it everywhere; folks went from house to house to ask for news. + 

About three o’clock in the afternoon, ’Toine fell asleep. He had got into the habit of sleeping half the day. He was suddenly awakened by a tickling under his right arm. He put down his hand and seized a little creature covered with yellow down, which moved in his fingers. + 

His excitement was such that he yelled, and let go the chicken which began to run all over the bedclothes. The tavern was full of people. The customers all rushed in, and thronged in a circle as if round a mountebank’s performance; and the old woman came to carefully gather up the little bird which had hidden itself under her husband’s beard. + 

Nobody spoke. It was a warm April day. Through the open window could be heard the clucking of the old hen, calling her chickens. + 

’Toine, who was sweating with excitement, constraint, and anxiety, murmured: + 

“I’ve another under the left arm⁠—right now!” + 

His wife plunged her long thin hand under the covers, and brought forth a second chick.⁠ ⁠… + 

The neighbours all wanted to see it. It was passed round from hand to hand, and carefully examined like a phenomenon. + 

For twenty minutes there were no more births;⁠—then four chicks got out of their shells simultaneously. + 

And there was a great hum through the assembly. And ’Toine smiled, delighted with his success⁠—beginning to feel quite proud of this queer paternity. You might say what you please, you never saw many men like him! He was a queer case⁠—wasn’t he? + 

He observed: + 

“That makes six. Nom de nom!⁠—what a christening!” + 

And a great burst of laughter went up. A number of strangers entered the tavern. Others were still waiting outside for their chance. People asked each other: + 

“How many’s he got?” + 

“Got six.” + 

Mother ’Toine carried this new family to the yellow hen; and the hen clucked crazily, bristled up her feathers, and opened her wings as wide as she could to shelter the ever-increasing multitude of her little ones. + 

“There’s another!” yelled ’Toine. + 

He was mistaken⁠—there were three more! It was a triumph! The last chick burst open its shell at seven o’clock that evening. All the eggs were hatched. And ’Toine, wild with joy, free again, glorious, kissed the little creature on the back⁠—nearly smothered it with his lips. He wanted to keep that one in his bed⁠—just that one⁠—until next day, feeling seized with a natural affection for the tiny thing to which he had given life; but the old woman took it away like the others in spite of his supplications. + 

All those present were delighted, and as they went home they talked of nothing else. Horslaville, the last to linger, asked: + 

“Say, Pap ’Toine⁠—going to invite me to fricassee the first, eh?” + 

The face of ’Toine grew radiant at the idea of a fricassee; and the fat man answered: + 

“For sure, I’ll invite you⁠—for sure, my son-in-law. + 