"It was this ways," he said. "Two gentlemen last month came over from Manchester, and they put up at the Raven. I watched them come, out of the corner of my eye--and 'tis little," Thady added, "that escapes me at such times. So when they had been round the churchyard, and peered at the ruins, as is the habits of town-bred folks, I made so bold as to approach them. Indade, I had kept, ever since they left the hotel, remarkably near them. My mother watched me up the Bull Ring, for she knowed that I had a bit of somethin' up my sleeve, and as I passed, lookin' as dacent as a lad that had just been bishopped, she whispered, 'Ye spalpeen, what be yer tricks?' But I shook her off, as a lad of spirit should, for when yer minded to have a bit of fun, give yer mother a wide berth sure. "Such is the advice of Thady Malone," and my little friend drew himself up loftily, and spoke as one who had solved a hard problem. [Sidenote: THE RUN OF THE SEASON] "I followed the gentlemen right enough," he continued, "and never took my eyes off them, but kept on with them, eyeing and peering round, same as a hawk above a clutch of chickens. And by their talk I made out it was after specimens that they had come. I crept round by a bush, and discovered, right enough, it was after birds and eggs that they had journeyed; and at last one of 'em, the tall, dark, lean 'un, he called out to me, and he said to the fat, sandy-whiskered one that was standing by, 'Perhaps this lad could help us.' Then he turned to me. 'My lad,' he said, 'we want to go over a bit of wild country, and to see a bit of wild life. Take us to a wood that is known here as the Edge Wood. They say rare birds still nest there. Hawks, we've heard, some of the scarce tomtits, and one or two of the rare fly-catchers, and we want to get some eggs.' Said I to myself, 'Thady, yer shall have fine sport.' But one of them, the lean 'un, had a nasty stick, so I said, 'Thady, my man, be careful;' but comforted myself after a bit, for 'tis only on louts' backs that sticks need fall. Then I stood up and answered bold, 'Is it the big hawk that your honours want, or the fern owl, the sheriff-man, or any other fowl?' Begorra, and indade yer leddyship, there was no fowl that I wouldn't have pretended acquaintanceship with. And they nodded, and I nodded, and they, the fat and the lean, they winked, and I winked, and they talked of eggs and fine prices, and they offered me shillin's, beautiful silver shillin's; but I said I'd serve them for the pleasure, for though silver is good, a bit antic is better. Besides," added Thady, gallantly, "what her leddyship has taught me, I canna unlearn," and Thady bowed to me with the instinct of a born courtier.