316 FISHING GOSSIP. 



" it's the weather, decidedly the weather, sir," and we 

 all relapsed into silence. 



" Did you ever see ladies fish ?" said I. " Fish ? " 

 said P.; "ladies fish what for?" "For fish, of 

 course ; could they possibly fish for anything else ? " 

 "Ah!" groaned P., "don't talk about ladies fishing, 

 it's a sore subject, it's so very expensive taking ladies 

 out fishing." " How's that ?" " Why, last season I 

 betted away a small fortune in gloves, and one day 

 when we were gudgeon-fishing I got positively furious, 

 and laid an even dozen pair that a certain young lady 

 would not catch eleven gudgeon out of twelve, nibbles 

 included. She caught the dozen right off, that's a 

 pair of gloves for every gudgeon. I very seldon win 

 myself, and when I do I never get paid. Another 

 thing, recollect never let ladies out of the boat. One 

 day the ladies got out to gather flowers, whilst we 

 men went on fishing. All of a sudden the spooney 

 who was with me dropped his rod, jumped up, cried 

 out, ' There goes Lucy ! ' and walked straight over the 

 gunwale into the river, and was very nearly drowned. 

 Holloa ! what's that ? it's music." " It's only Tityrus 

 ' playing a rustic song on his slender pipe,' or rather 

 his penny tin whistle. I wonder if Virgil's ' Tityrus' 

 was like this English musical shepherd. If you want 

 to see a real live Tityrus, you will meet them in the 

 London streets, dancing insanely for coppers on the 

 pavement, and blowing into the leg of an inflated pig- 



