THE ANGLER'S SOUVENIR. 



159 



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seemed to be glad of OUT company and protection. 

 Hay-making was suspended. The hay already cut 

 had been gathered hastily into cocks, and would 

 not take much harm ; but it was feared that the 

 wheat would be much beaten down by the weight 

 of the rain. 



When the fierceness of the tempest had passed 

 away, a steady rain set in, hiding not only the 

 hills, but the near woods in its " mournful fringe." 

 At night it grew finer, and we ventured out on 

 the lawn with a lantern to pick up the worms 

 which we imagined would, after rain, be crawling 

 about in great numbers. To our astonishment 

 there were none; the heavy rain had apparently 

 frightened them, so that they had sunk deeper in 

 the earth ; for while gentle rain will bring them 

 out in great numbers, " heavy wet" does not agree 

 with them, but drives them deeper in. 



We were rather puzzled to know how we should 

 obtain bait for the morrow, until we stumbled 

 against an old box in which the gardener had stored 

 some rich mould for his flower-pots. Upon empty- 

 ing this we found great numbers of capital red- 

 worms. To make assurance doubly sure, we got 

 some gunpowder, and making a big " devil," sallied 

 forth and stormed a wasps' nest in an adjoining 

 lane. 



The morning broke with a bright blue sky, across 

 which the clouds were being rapidly driven by a 

 strong breeze from the south-east. It was not the 



