A SCHERZO 191 



And so the fiction grew; but so eager and 

 interested were the listeners that the most glaring 

 discrepancies were swallowed with avidity. In fact 



Mr. A , whom I mentioned before as being so 



anxious to catch one of these large trout, was not 

 satisfied until he had received subsequently in the 

 billiard-room the minutest details of the affair. He 

 forthwith registered a vow to start early the next 

 morning to continuously drag his minnows through 

 the bay where we informed him was the spot at 

 which the incident had occurred. In fact, so excited 

 did he become over listening to the thrilling nar- 

 rative, that Paddy complacently suggested to him 

 that it might be advisable that he should retire to 

 rest early after applying a wet bandage to his 

 fevered brow. There was little wonder, then, when 

 the affair was taken so seriously, that we never 

 had the courage to enlighten our victims as to 

 the deception which had been practised upon them. 

 But after all, in the light of what happened on the 

 following day, the laugh may be considered to have 

 been against us. 



That next morning we all drove up the loch-side 

 together to the place where the boats had been left. 

 Our party started first, with the trolls out, while 



