92 THE TROUT ARE RISING 



his top-coat inside pocket. Little holes he had 

 made at the top of it. These proved not little 

 enough. Suddenly, a fellow passenger, pointing to 

 the C.C.'s shoulder, remarked, " Hullo ! What's 

 that ? " A meal worm had crept out of the tin, 

 worked its passage via the inside of his top coat, 

 and was now determinedly proceeding towards his 

 collar. The C.C. hurriedly opened his coat. A 

 hundred other meal worms, emulating the pioneer's 

 example, were a-roaming ; the inside of the coat 

 was a living mosaic of the creeping creatures. 

 However, the trouble was soon over, the passengers 

 in the meantime having shown their sympathy 

 with the C.C. by uncontrolled laughter, in which 

 he joined. 



Looking out of the carriage window outside 

 Birmingham, the plumber saw black belchings 

 of smoke from chimney shafts and observed : 

 " Gorgeous colouring there, " whilst the C.C. 

 solemnly inquired : " Is this Bermondsey ? " 

 After leaving Kidderminster " Kiddy " they call 

 it for short our attention was turned to the 

 golden glory outside, trees yellowing, hedgerows 

 mellowing, " all owning the hand of autumn." 

 For the first time in this part of England, these 

 good men enjoyed it with the hearts of little 

 children. From them came no blase utterances, 

 such as the fashionable "Not bad" or the 

 superior " It's much finer in the . . . ." And 

 when Wyre Forest was reached it seemed as if 

 the trees which are missing from the waste, 

 barren spaces of the earth had been compressed 



