Delightful Stillness. 241 



on the other side of the clump till I had passed, and 

 were back again before I was actually out of view. 



What a delightful stillness, freshness, and repose 

 there is about the stream at the point where I join it. 

 When you come to the bank, your eye just catches the 

 twinkle of fins — the dart-away from you of some 

 denizen, much interrupted in his business by your 

 appearance. As you look, you discover that the water 

 is wonderfully clear ; you can see the bottom and all 



vV 



that is in it, as you look through the pale brown water, 

 and on the opposite side, under a tuft of sedge, you can 

 see a stickleback's nest, with the tail of the little fellow's 

 wife just escaping from the opening of it. 



I walk on a little way, and soon pass by slightly 

 more varied ground, the borders of the stream more 

 wooded, and the current a shade swifter. This is a 

 very nice bit of water for small trout, which are very 

 fond of lying in the deeper pools at the roots of the 







