FISHES AND FISHING. 13 



which was already another person, as was known 

 afterwards, and arrived safe in London, with, it was 

 believed, many thousand pounds' worth of valuable 



lace. T d had by scouts gained information of 



this intended contraband affair ; but the parties were 

 too artful for the officers, for they walked, or in some 

 way, as it was supposed, came across the country from 

 the coast. My father was so much displeased at being 

 thus, though innocently, made in some way instru 

 mental to the scheme, that he never allowed either of 

 those two persons to enter his house again. 



My mother's brother had married a female belong 

 ing to a family respectable in their position, but in 

 ferior in habits, occupation, and manners to my 

 father and mother, whose station and education were 

 of a superior order. My aunt's brother, whom my 

 father did not know, and who was a journeyman 

 cabinet-maker, made an arrangement with a fellow- 

 workman, presuming on the very slight relationship, 

 to start from London on a Saturday night, or rather 

 Sunday morning, and walk down to my father's 

 to breakfast, where they arrived so dusty, travel- 

 stained, and differently apparelled to those persons 

 usually visiting at our house, that my father was 

 obliged to lend them clean linen, &c. He was so 

 vexed at the occurrence, that he wrote to my aunt 

 next day, saying he had no objection to receive her 



