On the right stood upon an upright beam, which was carved and formed into a pillar, a prettily painted dove-cot; and its gay inhabitants fluttered and cooed around.

The peacock-pigeon emulated the peacock in spreading its tail; and the cropper-pigeon elevated itself upon its long legs, and drew itself up, as though it would welcome the strangers with the air of a grand gentleman.

The reddish-brown tiles and the bright window-panes were the only things which had a modern air.

The building itself, from the stone window-seats to the old-fashioned tower through which you entered, proclaimed its antiquity.

In the vaulted entrance-hall stood two immense presses: the quantity of wood which formed them, and the artistical carving, testified to their great age.