oes."

"Faix, an' he ought to know you betther than that," said the tinker;
"for you'd make a fair offer[17] at anything, I think, but an answer to
your schoolmasther. Oh, a nate lad you are--a nate lad!--a nice clargy
you'll be, your _rivirence_. Oh, if you hit off the tin commandments as
fast as you hit off the tin weathercock, it's a good man you'll be--an'
if I never had a headache till then, sure it's happy I'd be!"

[17] A "fair offer" is a phrase amongst the Irish peasantry, meaning
a successful aim.

"Hold your prate, old Growly," said Ratty; "and why don't you mend the
weathercock?"

"I must mend the kittle first--and a purty kittle you made of it!--and
would nothing sarve you but the best kittle in the house to tie to the
dog's tail? Ah, Masther Ratty, you're terrible boys, so yiz are!"

"Hold your prate, you old thief!--why wouldn't we amuse ourselves?"

"And huntin' the poor dog, too."

"Well, what matter!--he was a strange dog."

"That makes no differ in the _crulety_."

"Ah, bother! you old humbug!--who was it blackened the rag-woman's
eye?--ha! Fogy--ha! Fogy--dirty Fogy!"

"Go away, Masther Ratty, you're too good, so you are, your rivirince.
Faix, I wondher his honour, the Squire, doesn't murdher you sometimes."

"He would, if he could catch us," replied Ratty, "but we run too fast
for him, so divil thank him!--and you, too, Fogy,--ha, old Growly! Come
along, Mr. Furlong, here's Gusty;--bad scran to you, Fogy!" and he
slammed the door as he quitted the tinker.

Gustavus, followed by two younger brothers, Theodore and Godfrey (for
O'Grady loved high-sounding names in baptism, though they got twisted
into such queer shapes in family use), now led the way over the park
towards the river. Some fine timber they passed occasionally; but the
axe had manifestly been busy, and the wood seemed thinned rather from
necessity than for improvement; the paths were choked with weeds and
fallen leaves, and the rank moss added its evidence of neglect. The boys
pointed out anything _they_ thought worthy of observation by the way,
such as the best places to find a hare, the most covered approach to the
river to get a shot at wild ducks, or where the best young wood was to
be found from whence to cut a stick. On reaching their point of
destination, which was where the river was less rapid, and its banks
sedgy and thickly grown with flaggers and bulrushes, the sport of
spearing for eels commenced. Gu