ely in its
abstract character.

"Now I know," said Wallace, "which is B., and of course you may as
well tell me all about it."

Phonny looked at Stuyvesant with an expression of surprise and concern
upon his countenance.

"No matter," said Stuyvesant, "let us tell him the whole story."

Phonny accordingly explained to Wallace, that the contract related to
the care of the hen-house and the hens,--that it was first offered to
Stuyvesant, that Stuyvesant did not accept it for an hour or two, and
that in the course of that time he, Phonny, had himself applied for
it. He concluded by asking Wallace if he did not think that an hour
was a reasonable time.

"The question," said Wallace, "how much it is necessary to allow for a
reasonable time, depends upon the nature of the subject that the offer
relates to. If two persons were writing at a table, and one of them
were to offer the other six wafers in exchange for a steel pen, five
minutes, or even one minute, might be a reasonable time to allow him
for decision. On the other hand, in buying a house, two or three days
would not be more than would be reasonable. Now, I think in such a
case as this, any person who should receive such an offer as Beechnut
made, ought to have time enough to consider the whole subject fairly.
He would wish to see the hen-house, to examine its condition, to
consider how long it would take him to put it in order, and how much
trouble the care of the hens would make him afterward. He would also
want to know how many eggs he was likely to receive, and to consider
whether these would be return enough for all his trouble. Now, it does
not seem to me, that one hour, coming too just when Stuyvesant was
called away to dinner, could be considered a reasonable time. He ought
to have a fair opportunity when the offer is once made to him, to
consider it and decide understandingly, whether he would accept it or
not."

"Well," said Phonny, with a sigh, "I suppose I must give it up."

So he and Stuyvesant walked back to the shop together.

CHAPTER VII.

THE WORK SHOP.

When the boys entered the shop door, the first thing for Phonny to do,
was to look and see if his trap was safe. It _was_ safe. It remained
standing upon the horse-block where he had placed it.

"And now," said Phonny, "the question is, where I am to find a box for
a cage. I must go and look about."

"And I must go and look at my hen-house," said Stuyvesant.

Phonny proposed