EXPERIENCES & REMINISCENCES. 35 



you would have concluded it was an invite for you to go fishing, 

 and you would have gone to the place where you thought the 

 letter was from ? Therefore we went, and to cut matters short 

 we found after all that it was a " take in," and that the letter was 

 not from him. He was, however, very pleased to see us, and 

 seemed to think it was a good joke I mean the letter, and our 

 going without an invite. He put no restrictions upon us as to 

 the fish we might catch. Well, what should friend Humber 

 do but straightway go and pull a seven pound pike out ! Of 

 course he did not lift him right out of the water, but after about 

 a quarter of an hour's play he brought him to the side, and our 

 friend Hot Cross (short for Otto von Krozz, who was born on 

 Good Friday) carefully manipulated him into the net, into 

 which he nearly dropped by reason of over-balancing himself 

 on the wall which skirts one side of the lake. However, the 

 distinguished foreigner was pulled back by his heels, and so 

 prevented from polluting this historic bathing place. The 

 only honourable course to take was to send the fish up to the 

 house with an expression of sincere regret that the pike should 

 have been so misguided as to take the live roach, which of 

 course was only intended for a big eel. Who would ever think 

 of a pike taking a live roach ! Were there any wopses there, 

 Mr. Hopper? Well, just a few! Whilst you were picking 

 one out from between your collar and neck, another would be 

 part of the way up to your knee. And ain't they fond of 

 bream ! Oh, my ! they did plunge their horrid little 

 probosisces into those breams' carcases, until they had 

 bored a hole nearly through them. Well, did you 

 sit under that ash tree ? No, but the others did, and they said 

 the shade was as "grateful and comforting" as no, Mr. 

 Epps, Mr. Hopper cannot afford to give you an advertisement 

 for nothing well, as ash trees usually afford. Any big bream 

 under that ash tree ? No, not that day, but there were some 

 jolly big French poodles two black ones and one white 'un 

 the rummiest beggars to look at you ever saw ; they grow their 

 wool in front, and it stops short all at once kind of half way 

 and poor doggie is next to naked in his hinder parts. But 



