TROUT FISHING. 21 



HAL. Fear not: he is as noble minded 

 a man as ever delighted in good offices ; and 

 so benevolent, that I am sure he will be 

 almost as happy in knowing you are amused, 

 as you can be in your sport ; and he hopes 

 for an additional satisfaction in the pleasure 

 of your conversation. 



POIET. So let it be. 



HAL. I will take you to the house; you 

 shall make your bow, and then you will be 

 all free to follow your own fancies. Remem- 

 ber, the dinner hour is five; the dressing 

 bell rings at half-past four; be punctual to 

 this engagement, from which you will be free 

 at seven. 



POIET. This is really a very charming 

 villa scene, I may almost say, a pastoral 

 scene. The meadows have the verdure 

 which even the Londoners enjoy as a pecu- 

 liar feature of the English landscape. The 

 river is clear, and has all the beauties of a 

 trout stream of the larger size, there rapid, 

 and here still, and there tumbling in foam 

 and fury over abrupt dams upon clean gra- 

 vel, as if pursuing a natural course. And 



