A CONTRAST IN THAMES ANGLING 117 



Our adventures were told to the members of a certain 

 society on the evening of our return, and no doubt they 

 were envious, miserable, or glad as it might happen. 

 We can only speculate as to that, but what can be told 

 is that by the first trains next morning six brethren 

 from different quarters of London went down and 

 made their way to Hawkins. They had not whispered 

 their intentions to one another, and looked rather 

 sheepish as they stood in a cluster to receive the an- 

 nouncement from the fisherman's wife that H. was 

 not at home. They looked a little more sheepish 

 when they took boat to the pollard tree swim and 

 found two very young gentlemen with Hawkins seated 

 in a punt. But they smiled again on learning that 

 there had not been a touch at either of the three lines, 

 which had been out since daylight. That swim was 

 diligently tried after our visit, but I had reason for 

 knowing that not another barbel was taken there 

 during the entire winter. 



