stream merely rinsed its bed, there it stood so still, in pools of
liquid amber, that, when the sun shone, the very pebbles showed
their shadows in the deepest places. Of course I caught nothing;
but, towards the close of the gold-brown afternoon, I made yet
another new acquaintance, in the person of a little old clergyman
who attacked me pleasantly from the rear.

"Bad day for fishing, sir," croaked the cheery voice which first
informed me of his presence. "Ah, I knew it must be a stranger,"
he cried as I turned and he hopped down to my side with the activity
of a much younger man.

"Yes," I said, "I only came down from London yesterday. I find the
spot so delightful that I haven't bothered much about the sport.
Still, I've had about enough of it now." And I prepared to take my
rod to pieces.

"Spot and sport!" laughed the old gentleman. "Didn't mean it for
a pun, I hope? Never could endure puns! So you came down yesterday,
young gentleman, did you? And where may you be staying?"

I described the position of my cottage without the slightest
hesitation; for this parson did not scare me; except in appearance
he had so little in common with his type as I knew it. He had,
however, about the shrewdest pair of eyes that I have ever seen,
and my answer only served to intensify their open scrutiny.

"How on earth did you come to hear of a God-forsaken place like this?"
said he, making use, I thought, of a somewhat stronger expression than
quite became his cloth.