CLEAR WATERS 



his rod out of its case except on the lawn before 

 leaving home, when his only remark was that it re- 

 minded him of a whip, for he was very fond of driving. 

 Indeed, my efforts at great expenditure of time and 

 muscle had not been encouraging to his maiden 

 ones. Moreover in such a country, in fine weather, 

 other attractions had naturally been strong. But he 

 thoroughly sympathised with the gentle art though 

 he continued to leave it severely alone, and permanently 

 as it so proved. In a moment of inspiration, however, 

 it was remembered that my godfather was a relative 

 of the owner of this glorious glimpse of wood and 

 water, so a letter was dispatched forthwith to that 

 kindly soul, and in due course a missive arrived at break- 

 fast addressed to me from Penrhyn castle presenting its 

 distinguished owner's compliments and permission to 

 fish for two days in the Penrhyn water for trout (under- 

 lined). 'He thinks you are a grown-up,' said one of 

 my small sisters, surveying the address on the impor- 

 tant-looking envelope, a just remark no doubt. ' It is 

 quite obvious,' said my father drily, ' that your exploit 



upon the marlpit at H has got about the world.' 



For myself I had not read the Field diligently for two 

 years for nothing, and moreover salmon ran up our 

 Exmoor stream in late autumn to spawn. So I ex- 

 plained that this merely precluded me from fishing 

 for salmon. * And why shouldn't he catch salmon as 

 well as trout,' said my mother in a rather aggrieved 

 tone of voice an ingenuous remark, for which her 

 East Anglian breeding was, in those days, a sufficient 

 excuse. 



A friend of ours from Bangor happened to turn up 

 28 



