MANFORD AND SERTON'S COSY NEST 33 



put a Seine fisher in raptures. Next he lost a fish by 

 breakage, and while repairing damages was arrested 

 by a distant summons from his companion, whom he 

 discovered wrestling with something no perch, how- 

 ever that had gained the further side of the pool, and 

 was now heading remorselessly for the apron of the 

 weir, under which it fouled and freed. The witnesses 

 of the defeat were probably right in their conclusion 

 that this was the aged black trout that had become a 

 legend, and was believed to be the only trout left in 

 those parts. 



During the afternoon M. and S., in peaceful brother- 

 hood, sat over the pool, plied paternoster and roach 

 pole, and fished till the float could be no more identified 

 in the dusk. They carried to the cottage each ten or 

 twelve pounds' weight extra in fish caught, but in his 

 memories of the homeward walk S. must have been 

 mistaken in his eloquent reference to the crake of the 

 landrail, though he might have been correct as to the 

 weak, piping cry of the circling bats, and the ghostly 

 passage of flitting owl mousing low over the meadow. 

 These alone, he said, broke the silence ; in this M. 

 took him to task, having himself heard the tink- 

 ling of sheep bells and the barking of the shepherd's 

 dog. 



Next morning the anglers were somewhat put out at 

 first at the necessity of fulfilling an engagement with 

 the keeper, being reminded of the promise by the ap- 

 pearance of a shock-headed youth in the cottage garden, 

 staggering under two sacks. M. was better versed in 

 these things than the other, and able to inform him 

 that this meant rabbiting ; here were the nets and 

 the ferrets, and he had undertaken to stand by with the 

 single-barrel and see fair play. Ferreting is a business 

 generally transacted without hustle, and the keeper 



