102 AN ANGLER AT LARGE 



so that some one else is able to recognise it. My 

 wife is far from being one of the musically un- 

 tutored, but she was not sufficiently educated to 

 pick up instruction from me. She had to work 

 at it, I promise you. 



When I hummed Frcre Jacques to her for the 

 hundredth time it was not her fault if she thought 

 I was occupied with Scotland's (or London's] Burn- 

 ing. But my resolution and her patience have 

 triumphed, Love (which is capable of all things) 

 co-operating; and now we never mix our tunes, 

 and our harmonies are blended in a manner entirely 

 satisfactory to ourselves. 



This singing in the open air is a most uplifting 

 exercise. On the downs it is intoxicating. Where 

 no rabbit can move unobserved within earshot 

 one's freedom from human observation is complete. 

 Singing on a bicycle is also good, but, moving 

 rapidly between hedges, one is never sure that 

 some idiot child or shattered tramp has not been 

 left behind. But on hill-tops one is free of all 

 restraint in this kind, and one can pull out all 

 the stops. 



Argument for the same reason is also carried 

 on with great luxury in these high places. But 

 argument is more dangerous because, once in- 

 volved in a chain of reasoning (and how involved 

 one can become !), these unselfish considerations are 



