DISAPPOINTMENT. 27 



On the other side lay the grounds of the de- 

 mesne watered by the upper river, here working 

 its obscure way through the trees, many of which, 

 uprooted by a late flood, were still floating on 

 its surface ; there rushing down an abrupt de- 

 scent in a foaming cascade, or suddenly turning 

 away into open ground and expanding into many 

 a little bay where neither bush nor bramble 

 could interfere with the tackle of the fly-fisher ; 

 while the grey turrets that flank the monster 

 telescope, and the summit of the great tube it- 

 self, frowned over the tops of the trees near 

 the castle. 



I had waited long and anxiously, but although 

 a duck or teal had passed now and then up the 

 river, yet they failed as yet to rouse the attention 

 of the imperturbable falcon. I noticed that they 

 kept close to the surface of the water, especially 

 as they neared the tall tree, and I almost fancied 

 that the position of their enemy had not escaped 

 their observation, for they always dropped sud- 

 denly into the stream close to the sedges. As 

 my own place of concealment was too far from 

 this retreat to admit of my flushing them again, 

 without at the same time alarming the peregrine, 

 I was obliged to leave matters to take their 

 course, and thus the first day wore away without 

 any satisfactory result. On the following morn- 



o 2 



