Women's wits fly swiftly to conclusions, and right ones too on most
occasions. The lively maids of Tilly told one another in whispers
that they were sure Pierre Philibert had come back to the Manor
House as a suitor for the hand of Mademoiselle Amelie, as was most
natural he should do, so handsome and manly looking as he was, and
mademoiselle always liked to hear any of them mention his name. The
maids ran out the whole chain of logical sequences before either
Pierre or Amelie had ventured to draw a conclusion of any kind from
the premises of this visit.
Behind the mansion, overlooking poultry-yards and stables which were
well hidden from view, rose a high colombiere, or pigeon-house, of
stone, the possession of which was one of the rights which feudal
law reserved to the lord of the manor. This colombiere was capable
of containing a large army of pigeons, but the regard which the Lady
de Tilly had for the corn-fields of her censitaires caused her to
thin out its population to such a degree that there remained only a
few favorite birds of rare breed and plumage to strut and coo upon
the roofs, and rival the peacocks on the terrace with their bright
colors.
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