He was only half awake, his face was red, and with his right eye open and the left nearly closed, he was buttoning his braces¹ over his fat stomach with some difficulty, at the same time looking into every corner of the farmyard with a searching glance. The sun darted² its oblique³ rays through the beech⁴ trees by the side of the ditch and athwart the apple trees outside, and was making the cocks crow on the dunghill, and the pigeons coo on the roof. The smell of the cow stable came through the open door, and blended in the fresh morning air with the pungent⁵ odor of the stable, where the horses were neighing, with their heads turned toward the light.

 

As soon as his trousers were properly fastened, Lecacheur came out, and went, first of all, toward the hen house to count the morning's eggs, for he had been afraid of thefts for some time; but the servant girl ran up to him with lifted arms and cried:

 

“Master! master! they have stolen a rabbit during the night.”

 

“A rabbit?”

 

“Yes, master, the big gray rabbit, from the hutch on the left”; whereupon the farmer completely opened his left eye, and said, simply:

 

“I must see about that.”

 

And off he went to inspect it. The hutch had been broken open and the rabbit was gone. Then he became thoughtful, closed his right eye again, and scratched his nose, and after a little consideration, he said to the frightened girl, who was standing⁶ stupidly before her master:

 

“Go and fetch the gendarmes⁸; say I expect them as soon as possible.”

 

Lecacheur was mayor of the village, Pavigny-le-Gras, and ruled it like a master, on account of his money and position, and as soon as the servant had disappeared in the direction of the village, which was only about five hundred yards off, he went into the house to have his morning coffee and to discuss the matter with his wife, whom he found on her knees in front of the fire, trying to make it burn quickly, and as soon as he got to the door, he said:

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