A DAY IN ELYSIAN FIELDS. 95 



had promised to meet them at West Drayton, and 

 we were all to drive over together to our water, about 

 five miles away. I missed the train, and so had, later 

 on, to hire another trap and follow them. 



It was a blithe morning, not, however, quite free 

 from suspicious clouds ; a morning of doubtful 

 augury, whether for sun or rain. The Major had 

 equipped himself in a thin summer suit and thin 

 boots to match, and the "Sarcelle" was still more 

 lightly clad ; whilst I, who had only come to look 

 on, was prepared for any weather mackintosh, 

 umbrella, gaiters, and thick boots. I was weather- 

 wise, they were weather- foolish. 



When I came up to them about noon it was in a 

 drizzling rain, which came on thicker and thicker, till 

 at length we were all compelled by a heavy downpour 

 to adjourn to a neighbouring shed. 



They had fished for hours, of course with their 

 usual consummate skill, but had caught nothing. If 

 their clothing was damp, not to say saturated with wet, 

 their thin shoes full of water, and flabby trousers 

 clinging to their gaiterless legs, their spirits were not 

 damped in the least ; they were ready at any moment 

 to sally forth again at the first sign of the storm 

 abating, but it did not abate. The aggravating part 

 of it was that the little deep-running stream was 

 bubbling over with big trout, but not a fly would they 

 look at, natural or imitation. There they were with 

 their broad, fan-like tails waggling out of the water 

 and their heads down in the mud, some close under the 

 banks, others having nice little gambols amid stream, 

 playing about like big babies ; for you may be quite 



