158 UP AND DOWN THE BROOKS. 



The woman looked at me. 



" Oh, you just picked it to have something 

 green in your hand," she said. 



And, perceiving that I had an inquisitive idiot 

 to deal with, I made no answer. But I remarked 

 inwardly afterwards that I had no idea of finding 

 anything quite so green as that woman. 



Truly, as the Havamal of the Elder Edda 

 saith, 



" A better burden 

 No man bears on the way 

 Than much good sense.' ' 



One September day I came to this brook dredg- 

 ing as usual, and found a fat woman and three in- 

 fants. They were informed that I was catching 

 water-beetles, since they labored under the sur- 

 prising delusion that it was fish I longed for. 



" Water-beetles," said the fat woman with an 

 air of wisdom ; " they 're the things that they 

 put on a hook to catch fish with." 



No doubt she thought that my fishing was to 

 come. I was merely securing bait. I have be- 

 come certain that there is one bit of wisdom that 

 all possess. There is no one who is not acquainted 

 with it. It is this : Fish live in brooks. 



The general impression that the actions of vis- 

 itors give to a bug-hunter when beside the brook 

 is that they are inwardly repeating to themselves 

 the sentence addressed by Jaques to Orlando, " I 

 was seeking for a fool when I found you." 



