EELS AND LAMPERNES. 265 



S])ectaclcs to the verge of his flaxen wig — a thhig 

 wliich, ill after -life, I have frequently seen men 

 do when intending to take a more distinct 

 measure of their antagonist, although they liad 

 previously asserted that they wore glasses to better 

 their vision. 



We confronted each other thus for a moment, 

 like Puck and Bottom, though there was no 

 Titania to add a lustre to the scene. On my 

 again demanding '^ by wdiat right he fislied 

 there,'' coupled with the command '^ to desist," 

 he replied in a mild tone of voice by asking the 

 question, ^^ What harm am I doing by angling 

 in this water ? " To this I angrily replied, that 

 ^^no one was allowed to fish there; and that I 

 should insist uj^on his immediate departure." A 

 bob or two at his float then withdrew his gaze 

 from me, and fixed his attention on the water ; 

 when, on the activity of his' fishing-gear ceasing, 

 he again regarded me, and, in a mild, firm, but 

 gentle voice, said, ^^My boy, I am doing no 

 harm here, and I shall not go " ; and then, re- 

 adjusting his s|)ectacles, and gazing at his float, 

 he seemed to subside into that mild, sweet, and 

 peaceable spirit which Izaak Walton claims to 



