ON THE FORDS OF TEME in 



The grayling fishing was greatly enjoyed, and 

 almost always at some time of the day once it did 

 not begin till so late as two o'clock in the after- 

 noon there would be a rise of fish. How good 

 they were to eat ! Of course all depends on their 

 preparation in the kitchen, but there we could 

 have perfect confidence. Hannah, the Welsh 

 cook, was an expert. And the grayling were 

 perfection. 



Here may be slipped in a little fragment from 

 "simple annals." I happened not to be fishing 

 one day, but in the afternoon went for a walk, a 

 pleasure in itself in the Teme valley on a ripe 

 autumn day. In due course I came to the river- 

 side to see how the Major was getting on. He had 

 done well during the rise, and got several beauti- 

 ful fish. On our way, as we were walking back, 

 we met a neighbour of an old couple who had 

 lived long in a riverside cottage, near Newnham 

 Bridge. The husband had kindly given the men 

 from Deptford and Rotherhithe and myself some 

 information one day about the water, and in a 

 little homely chat had told us that " his missus " 

 was going to Kidderminster on the morrow for 

 " a operation." He was well over seventy years 

 of age. Their cottage faced the field where we 

 began our fishing on association water, or rather it 

 was near where that length ended. When passing 

 during the next few days we saw the cottage shut 

 up, the wicket padlocked, and a basin of milk, 

 with a cat companioning it, outside the cottage door 

 neighbourly kindness again. It was clear that 



