They informed us that they were union men and that they hoped we were
too. And I replied that union was certainly my ultimate purpose, at
which the young Countess smiled dreamily at vacancy.

We did not dare leave the incubators. The plumbers lingered on, hour
after hour, while we sat and watched the little silver thermometers,
and waited.

It was time for the Countess Suzanne to dress, and still the plumbers
had not finished; so I sent a messenger for her maid, to bring her
trunk to the lecture-hall, and I despatched another messenger to my
lodgings for my evening clothes and fresh linen.

There were several dressing-rooms off the stage. Here, about six
o'clock, the Countess retired with her maid, to dress, leaving me to
watch the plumbers and the thermometers.

When the Countess Suzanne returned, radiant and lovely in an evening
gown of black lace, I gave her the roses I had brought for her and
hurried off to dress in my turn, leaving her to watch the
thermometers.

I was not absent more than half an hour, but when I returned I found
the Countess anxiously conversing with the plumbers and pointing
despairingly at the thermometers, which now registered only 95°.

"You must keep up the temperature!" I said. "Those eggs are due to
hatch within a few hours. What's the trouble with the heat?"

The plumber did not know, but thought the connections were defective.