STAICK HOUSE, EARDISLAND 89 



and venerable old Staick House with the weight 

 of many centuries on its stout, black oak beams. 

 To-day we were invited to luncheon in that old 

 house, and so were afforded a glimpse of its 

 interior, which is probably more interesting than 

 the exterior, with its large low rooms and black 

 oak beams across the ceiling. It contains, I 

 fancy, a fine old library, but I had no time, 

 being an angler and on angling bent, to examine 

 any of those old books probably there are 

 some of value among them. A copy of " Eikon 

 Basilike," attributed to Charles the First, has 

 probably been there since the time of that ill- 

 fated monarch. It bears the date 1648. There 

 were about fifty editions of it published in the 

 year following the King's martyrdom (in 1649). 

 Hume speaks of it as the " best prose composi- 

 tion which, at the time of its publication, was 

 to be found in the English language." 



Thursday ', June %th. We start a-fishing with a 

 cold north wind, angry and vile. We find our 

 club water, two miles off, not good enough after 

 Tuesday's experience. I blame not the water, 

 which is all right, but the weather, particularly as 

 by the unexpected kindness of a neighbouring 

 gentleman, Captain S., we have a chance of 

 catching fish just under our noses. 



This morning we fished down his meadows, 

 and spite of bad weather we got four brace during 

 the day, and a fine luncheon thrown in. Why 



