Rock Thrushes 65 



thing to eat ? " as the best bread cake was brought to 

 the fore, hungrily eyed by the children. " Madame 

 must have her cloak dried, Madame is so wet." 

 " Madame and Monsieur must not think of leaving 

 until the storm is over," &c., &c. 



Then I asked them whether their church was far 

 off. " Yes, a long way," was the answer. 



Does the cure come to visit them ? " Oh yes, 

 from time to time." 



And then our conversation was interrupted by the 

 arrival of the father of the family ; absolutely drenched, 

 poor man, to the skin. This was embarrassing ; since, 

 seeing we were in his bedroom, he must either doff his 

 wet clothes there, or nowhere ; and doff them he did, 

 after duly saluting les Strangers ; stripping himself 

 bare from his waist upwards, whilst his wife found 

 him a dry shirt in the depths of a large drawer beneath 

 his berth in the wall. 



We thought it advisable to be blind to the rest of 

 his toilette ; and as the rain still descended in buckets 

 outside, turned our backs to our host, as far as we 

 were able, to take a deep interest in the misty view 

 through the open doorway. When we ventured to 

 look round once more, he was clothed again ; and I 

 plied him with questions about the rock thrushes. 

 Oh yes, he knew them ; he had known of two or three 

 nests a month or so ago, but it was too late now to get 

 young birds, and this was disappointing ; so the storm 

 having cleared off, we wended our homeward way, 

 with many thanks to our kindly peasants, and a pour- 

 boire with which they seemed pleased. 



E 



