302 SALMON FISHING. 



flagged steps of the terrace, and planted his light foot on 

 the dewy greensward, all betokened gentle birth and gentle 

 associations. 



"But he thought nothing of himself, nor cared for his 

 advantages, acquired or natural. The long and heavy salmon- 

 rod which he carried in his right hand, in three pieces as yet 

 unconnected, did not more clearly indicate his purpose than 

 the quick marking glance which he cast towards the half- 

 veiled sun and hazy sky, scanning the signs of the weather. 



" ' It will do, it will do,' he said to himself, thinking as it 

 were aloud, ' for three or four hours at least ; the sun will not 

 shake off those vapours before eight o'clock at the earliest, and 

 if he do come out then hot and strong, I do not know but the 

 water is dark enough after the late rains to serve my turn a 

 while longer. It will blow up, too, I think, from the westward, 

 and there will be a brisk curl on the pools. But come, I must 

 be moving, if I would reach Darringford to breakfast.' 



" And as he spoke he strode out rapidly across the park 

 toward the deep chasm of the stream, crushing a thousand 

 aromatic perfumes from the dewy wild-flowers with his heedless 

 foot, and thinking little of the beauties of nature, as he hastened 

 to the scene of his loved exercise. 



" It was not long, accordingly, before he reached the brink 

 of the steep rocky bank above the stream, which he proposed 

 to fish that morning, and paused to select the best place for 

 descending to the water's edge. 



" It was, indeed, a striking and romantic scene as ever met 

 the eye of painter or of poet. On the farther side of the gorge, 

 scarcely a hundred yards distant, the dark limestone rocks rose 



