BRIFFAUT She leaves off laying and hatching eggs.  Nature then gives her back her purple and her gold, and the pheasant-hen proud and magnificent Amazon, preferring to put on her back blue, green, yellow, all the colours of the prism, rather than under a sober grey wing to shelter a brood of young pheasants, flies freely forth—­Light-mindedly she sheds the virtues of her sex, and having done it—­sees life! [He sketches with his paw a slightly disrespectful gesture.]

CHANTECLER
[Dryly.] Pray, what do you know about it?

BRIFFAUT
[Astonished.] Is he annoyed?

PATOU
[Aside.] Already!

CHANTECLER
In short, the pheasant your master missed—­

BRIFFAUT
Was a she!—­[He stops and scents the air.] Oh but!—­

PATOU
[Quickly, showing his dish.] You know, it’s my dinner you smell!

BRIFFAUT
It smells very unusually good.

CHANTECLER
[Aside.] I don’t like that way his nose has of twitching.

BRIFFAUT
[Starting upon another story.] Fancy such an instance as the following—­

THE BLACKBIRD
Holy Smoke!  Here comes another!—­Oh, I say, hire a hall!

[A distant whistle is heard.]

CHANTECLER
[Quickly.] You are whistled for!

BRIFFAUT
The deuce!  Good evening! [Disappears.]

PATOU
Good evening.

CHANTECLER
Gone, at last!

BLACKBIRD
[Calling.] Briffaut!

CHANTECLER
Great Glory, what are you doing?

THE BLACKBIRD
[Calling.] I have something to tell you!

BRIFFAUT
[His head reappears above the wall.] Well—?

THE BLACKBIRD
Look out, Briffaut!

CHANTECLER
[Low to the BLACKBIRD.] Do you make sport of our fears?

THE BLACKBIRD
You are losing something!

BRIFFAUT
What?

THE BLACKBIRD
Time!

BRIFFAUT
[Disappearing with a snort of fury.] Wow!

SCENE SIXTH

CHANTECLER, THE BLACKBIRD, PATOU, THE PHEASANT-HEN

CHANTECLER [After a moment, to the BLACKBIRD who from his cage, which he has returned, can see off over the wall.] Is he gone?

THE BLACKBIRD
He is nearly out of sight!

CHANTECLER
[Going toward PATOU’S kennel.] Madam, come forth!

THE PHEASANT-HEN [Appearing at the threshold of the kennel.] Well?—­A rebellious, self-freed slave I am—­even as that dog was saying!  But of great lineage, and proud as I am free—­A pheasant of the woods!

THE BLACKBIRD
Whew!  We hate ourself, don’t we!

THE PHEASANT-HEN
In the forest where I live there comes a-poaching—­

CHANTECLER
That madman who would have given to vile lead a jewel for setting!