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Updated: May 2, 2025
Madame Lebrun was bustling in and out, giving orders in a high key to a yard-boy whenever she got inside the house, and directions in an equally high voice to a dining-room servant whenever she got outside. She was a fresh, pretty woman, clad always in white with elbow sleeves. Her starched skirts crinkled as she came and went.
"What is the matter?" said Uncle James. The yard-boy gathered himself up with a very red face. "I thought you meant to shoot me, sir." Uncle James smiled gently. "May I ask when it became customary for gentlemen to shoot yard-boys?" he said. "Beg pardon, sir," the boy rejoined sheepishly. "There's accidents sometimes."
"That guinea-fowl!" he decided, after due consideration. The yard-boy caught it and gave it to the poultry-maid, who held it while Uncle James carefully felt its breast. "That will do," he said. "Quite a beauty." The yard-boy took it from the poultry-maid, tied its legs together, cut its throat, and hung it on a nail. "That drake!" Uncle James proceeded.
The pigeons were wary after the shot, and would not come out, so the yard-boy had to go into the house and drive them. There was a shelf in front of the little door, on which they generally rested a moment, bewildered, before they flew. Uncle James knew them all by sight, and let several go, as being too old for his purpose.
In front of it the pigeons had a good run, enclosed with wire netting when they were shut in; but they were often let out to feed in the fields. The yard-boy now reached up and opened a little door in the side of the house. As he did so he glanced at Uncle James somewhat apprehensively. Uncle James, with a benign countenance, suddenly lifted his gun and fired. The yard-boy dropped.
The same ceremony followed, Uncle James bearing his part in it without any relaxation of his grand manner. When a turkey-poult had also been executed, he requested the yard-boy to fetch him his gun from the harness-room. "We must have a pigeon-pie," he observed as he took it. Beth, in great excitement, stalked him to the orchard, where there was a big pigeon-house covered with ivy.
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