Roscoria went off accordingly, wondering what on earth he would _not_
do for Tregurtha, and, when he had waded the stream, climbed the tree,
disentangled the line, and substituted other flies for those which had
been jerked off, the two anglers started at a brisk walk to go further
up the river.
It is a pleasant country this, in which to spend a summer day. The
trees are very magnificent and full of foliage; the glens are bold and
varied; and the river-courses glittering through many a winsome spot.
With good sport, light hearts, intense capacities for enjoyment, the
two young men spent a rare afternoon, to be long remembered in their
winter evenings as one of the brightest of their holidays. They were
approaching toward six o'clock the boundary of the famed Doone Valley,
where they owned the fair spell of the enchanter Blackmore, who, with
his poetic wand, has conjured up the past for us, and haled dead men
out of their coffins to live again and be famous beyond the wildest
hopes of their lifetime.
Then, whilst musing by himself, Roscoria chanced to notice a churlish
coolness in the air, a depth of shadow from the neighboring oak, a
meaning hush and quiet stealing all about; and all he said to the
deepening beauty of the summer eve was this:
"Hang it all, I must put up my rod!" Sitting with his back turned to
the river that he might not be tempted, Roscoria did so slowly, to
give Tregurtha as many extra seconds as possible. He then went to
fetch his unwilling companion, who had to be hauled from the bank by
the coat-collar; then off and away to the place appointed for Jehu
to meet them, and home in contented silence to the Young Gentlemen's
Academy. The supper consumed within the halls of Torres that night was
truly Homeric. Witness the behavior of the cook. She was an energetic
woman; but she sank down at last upon the nearest chair, and, wringing
stalwart arms in desperation, cried, "May the Lord stay their stomachs,
for I cannot!"
III.
THE GODDESS.
One sultry afternoon Roscoria--the vices of boyhood vexing overmuch his
burdened heart--betook himself to green meadows with a volume of Plato.
He had announced his intention of reading in the same until he had
cooled down, a process which usually took him precisely three hours.
Long before he was expected, however, he was heard by Tregurtha coming
along the bridge over the moat toward his front window, and presently
he sprung in by the same, with an excited look in his eyes and the
manner of a man who has a fact to tell.
"Save you, Tregurtha! I am hit hard," was his greeting.
"I beg your pardon," said Tregurtha, politely, looking up from a piece
of carpentering.
"Did you ever hear, Dick, of love at first sight?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account