On the other hand, to open communications with the château de Souday himself was hardly feasible. There had never been any sympathy between the Marquis de Souday, an _émigré_ of 1790, and the Baron de la Logerie, a noble of the Empire. Besides, Jean Oullier, in the few words he had exchanged with him, had shown plainly there was no disposition to make his acquaintance. But the young girls, they who had shown him such interest, masterful in Bertha, gentle in Mary, how could he reach the young girls? This indeed was difficult, for though they hunted two or three times a week, they were always in company of their father and Jean Oullier. Michel resolved to read all the novels in the library of the château, hoping to discover from them some ingenious method which, as he began to fear, his own mind, limited to its own inspirations, could never furnish. At this stage of his reflections a touch was laid upon his shoulder; looking round with a quiver he saw Courtin; the farmer's face expressed a satisfaction he did not take any pains to conceal. "Beg pardon, excuse me, Monsieur Michel," said the man; "seeing you as still as a milestone, I thought it was your statue instead of yourself." "Well, you see it is I, Courtin." "And I'm glad of it, Monsieur Michel; I was anxious to hear what passed between you and Madame la baronne." "She scolded me a little." "Oh! I was sure of that. Did you tell her anything about the hare?" "I took good care not to." "Or the wolves?" "What wolves?" asked the young man not ill-pleased to bring the conversation to this point. "The she-wolves of Machecoul; I told you that was the nickname for the young ladies at Souday." "Of course I did not tell her; you know that, Courtin. I don't think the Souday hounds and those of La Logerie can hunt together." "In any case," replied Courtin, in the sneering tone which, in spite of his best efforts, he was sometimes unable to conceal, "if your hounds won't hunt with the Souday pack you, as it seems, can hunt with theirs." "What do you mean by that?" "Look!" pulling toward him and, as it were, bringing on the stage two coupled hounds which he held in a leash. "What are they?" asked the young baron. "They? Why, Galon-d'Or and Allégro, to be sure." "I don't know who Galon-d'Or and Allégro are." "The dogs of that brigand Jean Oullier." "Why did you take his dogs?" "I didn't take them; I simply put them in the pound." "By what right?" "By two rights: land-owner's rights, and mayor's rights." Courtin was mayor of the village of La Logerie, which contained about a score of houses, and he was very proud of the title. "Please explain those rights, Courtin." "Well, in the first place, Monsieur Michel, I confiscate them as mayor because they hunt at an illegal season." "I did not know there was an illegal season for hunting wolves; besides as Monsieur de Souday is Master of wolves--"