102 CONVERSATIONAL HINTS 



just as if they'd bored holes in a river-bed up there 

 with the notion of letting all the water run out. 

 First we thought it meant clearing up, so we sat 

 tight for a bit until it got thinner. Then we started 

 again for the next butts, and down it came again, 

 twice as hard. We stuck to it for three hours, and 

 then we chucked it and came home, feeling as if 

 we were wet enough to run down a sink and never 

 be missed. Now what do you think we ought to 

 have talked about? I don't know anybody who 

 made much more than two remarks. The first was, 

 " It can't last long at this rate ; bound to clear up 

 directly " : the second was, " This isn't good enough ; 

 I vote we make tracks." The keeper said he had 

 known it rain like this for a week on end, and 

 Melbury said it was a cursed country and not fit 

 for anybody to live in who wasn't a trout or an eel. 

 Then someone else said a short word, and then we 

 all dripped home. I don't think even you could 

 have done much better, could you ? 

 ' Yours to a turn, 



'JOHN CHURCHILL SHABRACK.' 



I confess Shabrack is right. I know only one 

 other kind of day that approaches the wet day as $ 



