The tomtit said:
"Look out, old man, or she'll outwit you."
The blackbird said:
"I have heard of her from my grandfather, who lived in the Champs
Elysees. She was much admired there."
The swallow said:
"Jeanne will have your heart in the time it takes me to fly round the lawn."
The rook, who was a bit of a lawyer, came swooping down from the cathedral tower, crying:
"Caw, caw, caw! Let her show cause—cause!"
And all took up the chorus:
"If you had our eyes, Monsieur Mouillard, you would see her looking at your study; if you had our ears, you would hear her sigh; if you had our wings, you would fly to Jeanne."