4 AN ANGLER'S HOURS i 



But no, all is quiet as before, and he re- 

 gains courage, stooping to pick up his 

 dropped property. What is it ? It is 

 nothing more romantic than a boot, of a 

 large size truly, but still only a boot. And 

 yet at this hour of the day a fallen boot 

 resounds as loudly through the house as the 

 beating of a drum ; but the sleepers sleep 

 on still. Slowly and carefully he picks his 

 way down the broad staircase, crosses the 

 hall, and opens a door under a low archway. 

 Let us follow him ; if it be a burglar we 

 must raise an alarm. Passing in through 

 the doorway, we seem to be in a large room 

 but faintly discovered by his little candle ; 

 but he has lighted the gas, and now we 

 may observe him and his surroundings. If 

 he be a burglar he is most quaintly attired, 

 for as he stands in his stocking-feet he is 

 evidently clad in shooting costume ; a loose 

 Norfolk jacket, under which we catch a 

 glimpse of a woollen jersey, does not look 

 like the raiment of a burglar. He seems to 

 have been expected too, for on the table in 

 the middle of the room is a fair white cloth, 

 and on the cloth are the materials for a 

 meal. There are the goodly proportions 



