34 THAMES FISHING. 



sional y exhibited him as the object of a melancholy 

 which I should have thought had been foreign to 

 his character. I remember that I was one day 

 trolling on the banks of the Thames, and nearly 

 opposite to an old oak-tree which partially threw 

 its branches over the water, and which was in 

 sultry weather his favourite resort. I had not 

 been long engaged in my occupation, when I per- 

 ceived him slowly sauntering along, and now and 

 then throwing his line into the river, where the 

 openings between the osiers gave him an opportu- 

 nity of doing so. His thoughts, however, were 

 evidently otherwise engaged, and he did not dis- 

 cover that I was so near him. At length he 

 reached his favourite tree, and, fixing his rod in 

 the bank, threw himself at full length under its 

 shade, at the same time leaning his head upon his 

 hand, appeared to be solely engaged in watching 

 his line as it was occasionally moved by the eddies 

 or rippling of the stream. He had not remained 

 in this position many minutes when I fancied that 

 I could perceive him wiping a tear from his eye, 

 and that his countenance assumed an expression of 

 deep melancholy; and though there was nothing 

 particular in the whole incident, I need not say 

 that he lost none of his interest in my eyes. His 

 kindness of heart, his love of poetry, and indeed 

 all tales of fiction, added to his admiration for the 

 minutest works of nature, will help to fill up the 



