FEBRUARY 19 



whether scoring or a failure, falls into the 

 scope of Pope's maxim ; but in many cases 

 the result is so astonishingly unexpected 

 that neither player nor onlooker is tempted 

 to search for the unseen and involuntary 

 direction. The incidents of golf, in a 

 less complex way, are similar. Your 

 opponent, howsoever sweet of temper, 

 exclaims " Fluke ! " to himself, if not to 

 you, when you take a short hole in one 

 from the tee. He believes what he says, 

 too. On reflection he would admit that, 

 as you aimed at the hole, you are not 

 without cause for pride ; but he would not 

 admit that luck made no contribution to 

 your success. You do not suffer such 

 obloquy in fly-fishing. If you catch 

 many trout, you are acknowledged to 

 be a skilled hand ; if on a good day you 

 catch none, or only a few, you are taken 

 to be a duffer. Any one, even if he be a 

 metaphysician, may say " Good luck ! " on 

 seeing you set out for stream or lake ; 

 but no one would mention luck on 

 beholding your basket well plenished in 



