THE TROUT STREAM 39 



fragrance about the little angling inn or cottage 

 with its garden of flowers and vegetables, a medley 

 of ornament and use. What angler has not noted, 

 on his evening drive to the village from this quiet 

 countryside station, the incense of the hedgerows ? 

 The may has gone perhaps, but there is fragrance 

 none the less ; for in these refreshing spots sweet 

 odour seems to succeed sweet odour the spring 

 and summer through. After dinner or supper the 

 visitor must go out, though it is growing quite dark, 

 to inspect what he can of the river he is to fish next 

 day ; and should it happen that there is that most 

 seductive of all angling things, an evening rise, 

 he will be devoting an extra hour on his return to 

 his village quarters to overhauling and preparing 

 tackle against the morrow's sport. In the morning 

 he will wake before he is called, and throw open the 

 lattice to take a draught of that best of stimulants 

 — the fresh morning air of the country, and to hear 

 a portion of " some wild skylark's matin song." 



Some one has declared that the chief pleasure in 

 angling is to be found in the preparations for 

 angling. This is, of course, an exaggerated way 

 of putting it ; but the beauty of the landscape and 

 the sweetness of his quarters, — who would deny that 

 these things, at any rate, are material to the 

 angler's complete content ? The fishing quarters 

 where " the landlady is good and kind," and where 

 the sheets smell of lavender, have been precious 

 since the days of Walton. " It is worth while," 

 wrote Mr. Froude, " to spend a few days at Cheneys, 

 if only for the breakfast — breakfast on fried pink 

 trout from the Chess, fresh eggs, fresh yellow butter, 

 cream undefiled by chalk, and home-made bread 

 untouched with alum." But let no one suppose 



