One day he intended to shoot at Lamotte, but, before beginning his sporting expedition, he had to say mass in the château chapel; he had taken with him his dog Finaud and his choir-boy quiot Pierre (which means little Pierre), to assist him in his operations.
The church was on the borders of the warren on which they were going to begin.
Now Finaud was a splendid retriever, and the Abbé Fortier, who never cared to shoot without him, had told the servants to shut him up carefully.
After the Gospel the abbé stopped and listened as he heard a well-known bark in the warren.
He listened for a minute; then he turned, and saw that the choir-boy was also listening, with a smile on his lips.
"Tell me, quiot Pierre," said the abbé, "isn't that Finaud's bark I hear over there?"
"Yes, M. l'abbé; they have let him loose, and he is after a rabbit."
"Ah! well!" replied the abbé, "the rabbit can be quite easy; we shall get him in any case."
And he went on saying mass.
Mass over, Finaud led the way.