HOOKED FOUL. 221 



been, I am well assured, forgotten by the entire company, 

 while a nobler creature, albeit of the finny order, had 

 engaged our attention. Probably he had been watching us 

 out of the corner of his fishy-looking eye, though now he 

 pretended languidly to put aside his book for the first 

 time. 



" ' Did I underthtand, Tharah, that you thaid " Hooked 

 foul?"' he drawled. 



"She turned a trifle sharply towards him, as if recalled by 

 the question into another and less pleasant state of being ; 

 so at least I flattered myself. 



" ' I don't know what you understood, Frank, but that is 

 what I said. It may not be grammar, but it is a perfectly 

 well-known technical phrase. Yes ; I said " hooked foul," ' 

 she boldly answered. 



" ' And will you tell me, Tharah, what ith " hooked foul ? " ' 



" ' Hooked foul, Frank,' she stated, without looking at 

 her questioner, ' means " hooked foul." That is to say you 

 are trying to hook something in one way, fail to do so, but 

 hook it in another not quite so straightforward. You don't 

 get it by hook but by crook.' 



" This being not a very lucid explanation, I was em- 

 boldened to take up the parable. Said I, with an air of 

 nonchalant wisdom — 



" ' You see, this fish, if caught in the orthodox way, would 

 have snapped at the baited hooks, and enclosed them with 

 his jaws. He probably went so far as the snap, and missed 

 the bait, but the revolving hooks caught him on the shoulder, 

 as you observe, and here he is. The great point, after all, is 

 that he is hooked somehow.' 



" ' It's not a pleasant thing to be hooked foul, Frank,' 



