140 THE ANGLER'S GUIDE. 



fallen plump on two or three dozen of wine 

 that had just come in, and sent both glass 

 and liquid flying in all directions. And at 

 other times he had, through his drunken 

 stupidity, done several things which were 

 even of a very sacrilegious character, though 

 it was not known by the devoted Roman 

 Catholics who attended the chapel. As, for 

 instance, one day, while dusting the relics 

 of the saints, he let fall the tumbler out of 

 which Saint Sips always used to drink his 

 water, and because it should not be known, 

 picked up every modicum of the pieces, and 

 bought another tumbler as much like it as 

 possible, and put it in its place. And then, 

 when devout Roman Catholics were looking 

 with holy reverence at the tumbler, or touch- 

 ing it, or kissing it, thinking all the while 

 it was the holy tumbler of Saint Sips, it was 

 no such thing, but a common one bought 

 for a few pence out of an English china-shop. 

 But we must give Bigings his due, for he 

 did feel very queer about the affair, and prayed 

 to the Virgin to keep him from getting so 

 stupidly drunk. And he told his wife, but no 

 one else, that he knew it was a judgment on 

 him for his unholy conduct, for there was 



