entertained had required this
of him; but his present guests felt no disposition to do so, after what
they had heard. They cut up their fowls by firelight: then, before
beginning to eat, they exchanged glances, the consequence of which was
that the boys were called, made to sit down, each between two soldiers,
and treated with some mouthfuls of savoury fowl. Can it be wondered at
that they forgot, till afterwards, that they were eating poor Marie's
fowls, which they had hoped to see pecking about in the wood?

The lively talk that was going on round the table was soon interrupted
by a loud rap upon the door, made by a heavy staff, such as the Count's
followers usually carried when they went on messages. Randolphe was not
fond of receiving visits from the Count's people, and he now desired
Robin to go to the door, and see what was wanted. The message was heard
by those within, for the bearer shouted it aloud from door to door of
all the peasantry of the Count's estate. Randolphe and another were
wanted to-night, to flog the ponds.

"I will go myself, because I must," observed Randolphe: "but how to find
another I don't know, so I shall just let that alone."

"They won't forgive you for not taking a second," remarked his wife.
"You will have to pay dear, one way or another: and yet I can't ask you
to take one of the boys.--It is bad enough for you, a poor rest between
two days' labour, to stand flogging the ponds till field time in the
morning."

"Have you often to do this night-work, neighbour?" asked Jerome.

"Only when the family are at the chateau. They are so used to live in
Paris, away from country noises, that they cannot sleep in the country
for the noise of the frogs, unless the ponds are flogged; so, when they
come, we have that work to do."

"Cannot you poison the frogs?" asked Jerome.

"O, yes, father!" cried Marc. "You poison rats: cannot you poison the
frogs, and have done with them?"

The smoker here muttered something which made his comrade jog his elbow,
and the host say, "Hush! Hush!" What he was muttering was, that if
they wanted to get rid of a nuisance, the aristocrats were fewer than
the frogs.

Randolphe was evidently anxious to be gone after he had heard this
speech. He would not say another word on his own grievances, or those
of his neighbours. He fetched his woollen cap, and stood only undecided
as to what he should do about furnishing a second, to work with him that
night.