THE THAMES. 47 



and R. are on their part at the same time laughing at 

 Browne Browne's amazing nautical costume; and Jones, 

 ■who is the wag of the party, seeing plainly that the young 

 boating-man is making himself pleasant at their expense, 

 calls out and asks him why he does not take a reef in his 

 maintop-sail anchor, and with shocking coarseness observes : 



" I say, has the old man in Shoreditch sold that tripe 

 business yet ?" 



Whereat Browne Browne looks black, and one of his fair 

 friends titters. I suppose life would not be half so tolerable 

 if people did not spend a portion of their time in laughing 

 a,t each other. 



Browne Browne sometimes trusts himself on board a small 

 "toy steamer, and then he is apt to become a serious nuisance. 

 The little spit-fire craft ruthlessly invades many a " swim," 

 frightens scores of innocent fishing people who are uncere- 

 moniously 



" Rocked in the cradle of the deep," 



and pursues its reckless way in triumph. And it would be all 

 the better if Browne Browne would forswear that unmanly 

 trailing propensity of his, and leave the small jack to reach 

 years of something like maturity. I do not believe B. B., 

 Esq., deliberately intends to be objectionable, but he is a 

 thoughtless harum-scarum gentleman who does not look 

 far enough ahead in his purview of the world and its 

 waters. 



The extension of railways has brought the Thames within 

 easy reach of the angling classes. The river may now be 

 "tapped" at all points, beginning with a Great Western 

 station not far from the source. The number of anglers in 



