210 TROUT FISHING 



wheat and the oats and the barley, the 

 turnips and the potatoes, have to be 

 served before the stream. If it were 

 autumn, and the fields were all stubble or 

 fallow, the river would have risen a foot 

 by this time ; but the " growing crops " 

 drink up a large quantity of rain. 



All is still well at eight o'clock. 

 News comes that the burn which runs 

 for a few miles by the side of the North 

 Road, and so drains a good strip of bare 

 land, is rising so quickly that the river, 

 below where the burn joins it, is muddy 

 for two or three yards out. Some of the 

 larger ditches are beginning to run. 



Meanwhile the rain goes on : no 

 longer a slight windy spray, but coming 

 steadily down through motionless air, 

 pattering on the leafy trees : the fresh- 

 ened earth is alive and awaike, purring 

 in gratification. 



Suddenly there are twitterings in the 

 gardens, and the copses ring with the 

 notes of thrush and blackbird. That 

 makes the villagers uneasy. The birds 



