What's he doing down here?
He's generally kept up at Eperquerie, and that's the best place for him.

He's an awkward beast at times.

I must send and tell Mr.Le Pelley where he is." The little cluster of white, thatched houses stood close together for company, but discreetly turned their faces away from one another so that no man overlooked or interfered with his neighbour.
Gard found himself in a large room which occupied the whole middle portion of the house and served as kitchen and common room for the family.
The floor was of trodden earth--hard and dry as cement, with a strip of boarding round the sides and in front of the fire-place.

Heavy oaken beams ran across the roof from which depended a great hanging rack littered with all kinds of household odds and ends.

Along the beams of the roof on hooks hung two long guns.