268 I GO A-FISHING. 



if possible which a good man must shrink from and ab- 

 hor, unless starved into it, to take fish or birds, and which 

 he must do when he does it with regret, and with sobri- 

 ety and seriousness, as he would whip his child, or shave 

 himself when his beard is three days old, and you have 

 your case. But till you show this, I will continue to think 

 it great sport to supply my market with fish. 



" Between ourselves, Major, I am of opinion that Peter 

 himself chuckled a little when he took an extra large 

 specimen of the Galilee carp, and I have no doubt that 

 he and James, and even the gentle and beloved John, 

 pulled with a will on the miraculous draught of fishes." 



" Probably you are right ; but I have lost my love for 

 the sport. I can hardly say how it came about with me. 

 I think it was the result of a long illness which I had in 

 my middle life, and from which I recovered slowly, and 

 in such strict confinement that the love of reading grew 

 on me, and other employments lost the zest which I once 

 found in them. I sometimes wonder now how you can 

 read all winter and go a-fishing all summer as you do. 

 I can't separate myself from my books." 



" You are growing quite too bookish of late years, if 

 you will pardon me for saying so, my old friend." 



" As how ?" 



" I mean that you are getting to be dreamy in your 

 manner, and you don't seem to realize the common events 

 of life. You live so much among thoughts and imagina- 

 tions that you're getting to be quite useless as a com- 

 panion, except when one wants to talk or listen." 



"I haven't lost my appreciation of claret." 



" So I perceive." 



" Your glass is empty. Help yourself." 



" Thanks ; I'm doing very well." 



