250 A Sportsman at Large 



him to slip off to the tarn yonder and bring me back a duck, 

 do you suppose he could or would succeed in so doing ? " 



" I am not given to rash speculation. I simply abhor the 

 vice of gambling, but I dare venture my clerical headgear 

 against your lay tile, that he neither could nor would do 

 anything of the sort." 



" Done ! " 



I went to the door and whistled for my favourite. " Sweep," 

 I said in my ordinary tone of voice, " His Lordship. wants 

 you to fetch him a wild duck from over there " (inclining my 

 head in the direction of the rush-grown mere). " Do you think 

 you could find one ? " 



This was enough ! Sweep was off like a shot. In less than a 

 quarter of an hour he was back again with the much-harassed 

 duckling, firmly but tenderly held in his jaws ! 



" Well I'm " (here the Bishop, no doubt mindful of his 



former lapse, pulled up short) " I'm I'm blessed I " 



In the evenings, after our day's sport and a grateful repast, 

 during which His Lordship showed his unstinted appreciation 

 of Pol Roger 1889 (then in its prime), my C.O. " would oblige " 

 on her violin. She was a thorough musician and knew how 

 to extract the sweetest music from that glorious (when 

 gloriously played) instrument. The dulcet strains invariably 

 caused our guest to slip gently into the arms of Morpheus, 

 whilst not infrequently he would join in with a nasal obbligato 

 which was somewhat trying to those blessed with a sensitive 

 ear for music. 



Again I ventured on a little mild leg-pulling. This time 

 the plot was carried out by conspiracy. 



We all waited until the Bishop was fast asleep and emitting 

 a cacophony like unto the grinding and whirring of a twenty- 

 horse-power steam saw mill. 



Then the C.O. drew her bow across the strings in one long- 

 sustained, excruciating discord ! 



Dr. Straton opened his eyes, rubbed them, and bowed to the 

 player. 



' Thank you so much," he murmured suavely. ' That 

 was really divine ! My favourite melody. Every note went 

 to my heart, calling up visions of my childhood's days, when 



