126 AN ANGLER'S HOURS vn 



Billy disregards the forms of thanksgiving 

 as I hand him his day's wage and something 

 over, but again begs me to remember that 

 he said I should catch fish. I should, he 

 adds, have caught more if I had not returned 

 the small ones. With that he packs the 

 four pike for me into the long rush-basket, 

 and hastens away to the Black Swan, while I 

 walk off in the opposite direction. This 

 evening he will describe to an admiring and 

 credulous audience the complete failure that 

 attended my efforts until he himself grasped 

 the rod and showed me how it should be 

 done. By closing time he will have caught 

 all the six fish that entered the landing-net 

 this day. But I forgive Old Billy his little 

 weaknesses. The only complaint I would 

 make about him is that his company has 

 made a short winter day seem still shorter. 



