When pheasants came wandering into the cottage gardens, and could even be enticed into the sheds and so secured by simply shutting the door, men who would not have gone out of their way to poach were led to commit themselves.
There followed a succession of prosecutions and fines, till the place began to get a reputation for that sort of thing.

It was at last intimated to the steward by certain gentlemen that this course of prosecution was extremely injudicious.

For it is a fact--a fact carefully ignored sometimes--that resident gentlemen object to prosecutions, and, so far from being anxious to fine or imprison poachers, would very much rather not.

The steward took the hint, and instead increased his watchers.

But by this time the novelty of pheasants roaming about like fowls had begun to wear off, and their services were hardly needed.