AND HOW I HAVE CAUGHT MY FISH 293 



off to meet our friends at the station. In the 

 excitement B. had quite forgotten the promised 

 flowers ; but as we paused to open the first gate, 

 the thought of home, wife and flowers, came back 

 to him, and down went his bag of fish, and he was 

 gone with a shout of, " I'll catch you ; I've for- 

 gotten something." 



He could run then, and as I sauntered and 

 rested I fully expected him to overtake me ; but 

 the station was reached, the train came in, and 

 we four took our seats, and, as I held the door 

 open, I looked up the platform and said, " B., 

 as usual, has lost his train for his flowers." 



" Right here," and the train was on the move. 

 Just then in rushed an elderly gent, rod in hand, 

 and naturally made straight for the open door, 

 while his basket was seized, from a country lad, 

 by the guard, just as the train left the platform. 

 Bang went the door, and we were face to face with 

 the most extraordinary fisherman that ever man 

 set eyes on. Why, he was dressed in black, with 

 a swallow-tail coat and high hat ! 



Could it be that he was a mute who had at- 

 tended a funeral in the morning and gone a-fishing 

 in the afternoon ? At any rate, his dress favoured 

 the supposition. How he blew and puffed ! Speak 

 he couldn't, as his wind was gone. I pitied that 

 old party from the bottom of my heart. What a 

 race he must have had ! I offered him a nip of 

 brandy, when, to my horror, he pointed to his 



