THE CHANCE ENCOUNTER 169 



a devoted gardener tends his plants he had made 

 them part of himself. Each time I went to that 

 delightful town I visited his spotless little inn to 

 enjoy the atmosphere of the past which the 

 landlord's talk as much as his collection recon- 

 structed so vividly. One day while we were 

 chatting he suddenly noticed a figure in another 

 room. " Ah, gentlemen, come along into this 

 room," said he, " here is a living piece worth all 

 these relics put together ! " We went into the 

 other room, and the landlord said : " Now look at 

 this dear old lady ! " Truth to tell she was a 

 goodly sight. Her age was great, her face 

 " wrinkled, but still rosy." The landlord con- 

 tinued : " She is actually ninety-three years old. 

 She lives by herself, walks into Ludlow by her- 

 self, does her own needlework, her own reading 

 and writing, all without glasses, and she has a 

 cottage as clean as any palace ; and now, granny," 

 he said, turning to her, but evidently forgetting 

 her deafness, " will you kindly tell these gentle- 

 men how as a girl you remember seeing 

 Queen Victoria when she came to Ludlow ! " 

 Granny looked up at him, and replied, very 

 sweetly : " I'll have a glass of port wine, it you 

 please." 



Sometimes at an hotel, when you are just 

 doing up your tackle, ready for a long day, a 

 stranger who is preparing to go out and do the 

 day's work for which he has specially come into 

 the district, looks longingly at the rod and basket, 

 and is evidently with you in spirit. I always 



