DOVE DALE REVISITED 9 



book entitled " Cigarette Papers " (Treherne), 

 in which he says, prettily enough : " Tom Moore 

 lived a lonely but happy life on the banks of 

 the Dove near Ashbourne. He set the music of 

 the local bells to immortal verse." 



At the present writing I know not, any more 

 than you, what each day may bring forth, but I 

 propose to jot down day by day whatever little 

 incidents may seem to have any, even very 

 trifling, interest, for one's life is made up of 

 little things. I shall have, I fear, much to say 

 about the weather. 



Tuesday, September 3oth. I arrived here in 

 very discouraging weather a persistent east 

 wind, frequent sudden showers. 



I strolled down in the evening to take a first 

 glance at the river at the bottom of the meadow 

 which adjoins the house. There is the identical 

 pool overhung seemingly by the identical branch 

 on which it seems but yesterday that I left my 

 cast and fly. A leatherbat more venturesome 

 than the trout was attracted by the barbed be- 

 trayer swinging in the wind, had seized it, and 

 I found him next morning with the fly still in 

 his mouth, floating dead on the water, but still 

 suspended to the branch, hanged and drowned ! 



