62 EASY-CHAIR MEMORIES 



to show us the way) and woe is me ! I had 

 almost omitted to add Piscator's wife, the most 

 important personage of all, and she an old 

 hand with the fly-rod. The keeper comforted 

 us all he could by telling us there was no 

 chance whatever of our catching a single trout 

 in such weather no fly on the water, no rise, 

 no anything likely to afford us pleasure. He 

 is a very good fellow notwithstanding his fore- 

 bodings, so I give you his portrait. 



There is an old lady of eighty-six here who 

 has tested and proved the truth of the old 

 adage 



" So many mists in March, 

 So many frosts in May " ; 



and he quite believes her. 



And yet, when we came to the water, things 

 were not "as they seemed," not half so bad. 

 The first thing that struck us was the convinc- 

 ing proof that trout were there, if not rising 

 (seeing nothing to rise at) they were there 

 in abundance and of all sizes, from six ounces 

 to three pounds, lying on the gravel or poised 

 midway 'twixt wind and gravel on the look-out, 

 or darting away at the reverberation of our 

 footfalls (for if fish cannot hear they can 



