AND HOW I HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 87 



eight o'clock, and, at a quarter past, they sat down 

 to breakfast, having previously laid out upon the 

 table, on which he was to sit, an imposing array of 

 tailor's requisites. 



Country tailors are credited with having huge 

 appetites. Can this be accounted for by their sitting 

 so much with their legs crumpled up in front of 

 them ? I heard Mary, our dairymaid, tell Gibbs 

 that sitting on a table as if about to hatch a brood 

 of chickens would naturally make a man as hungry 

 as a broody hen. 



It is admitted that they have a weakness for a 

 liver and bacon breakfast. Hollo way was very fond 

 of it, and, as he had to walk three miles to reach 

 our house, there could be no wonderment at his 

 needing a second helping of such a savoury dish ; 

 but it must have been some other tailor that, wishing 

 for yet another helping at breakfast, got it by 

 promising he would consider it to be his dinner, 

 and, having eaten that, got another plateful, saying 

 that should count as being for his supper ; after 

 eating which he packed up his tools, saying, in 

 reply to an inquiry, he never worked after supper 

 It could not have been Holloway, as Mrs. Hol- 

 loway was always there, and was most particular 

 about her husband's food and drink, particularly 

 the latter. 



Mary, the dairymaid, was much to me, and so 

 she was to Gibbs. I was with her when Gibbs came 

 from the stables, got behind us before we knew that 



