It was odd that he should be carrying away with him the seeds of
homesickness for a place in which his stay had been counted by weeks. So
anxious, indeed, was he to assure himself that his relations with that
beautiful valley and its inmates were not entirely severed that, the
moment he reached Inverness, instead of going into the Station Hotel and
ordering his dinner like a reasonable being, he must needs go
straightway off to Mr. Watson's shop.
"I suppose," said he, with a little hesitation--for he did not know
whether to mention Miss Cunyngham's name or not--he was afraid he might
betray some quite uncalled-for embarrassment--"I suppose you know the
flies they use on the Aivron this time of year."
Mr. Watson knew well enough; who better!
"I mean on the Strathaivron Lodge stretch of the water?" Lionel
continued.
"Oh, yes; I am often sending flies to Miss Cunyngham," was the answer.
"Oh, Miss Cunyngham?" said Lionel. "It is for her I want some flies."
"Very well, sir, I will make up a small packet, and send it to her? Miss
Cunyngham has an account with me--"
"No, no, that isn't what I mean at all," Lionel interposed, hastily. "I
want to make Miss Cunyngham a little present. The fact is, I was using
her book," he observed, with some importance (as if it could in the
least concern a worthy tackle-maker in Inverness to know who had gone
fishing with Miss Cunyngham), "and I whipped off a good number, so I
want to make amends, don't you see?"
"Very well, sir; how many will I put up?"
"All you've got," was the prompt reply.
Mr. Watson stared.
"Oh, yes," Lionel said. "Miss Cunyngham may as well have a good stock at
once. You know the proper kinds--Blue Doctors, Childerses, Jock Scotts,
Dirty Yellows, Bishops, Bees--that's about it, isn't it?--and put in
plenty of various sizes. Then don't make a parcel of them; put them into
those japanned boxes with the cork in them--never mind how many; and if
you can't tell me at once how much it will all come to, I will leave you
my London address, and you'll send the bill to me. Now if you will be so
kind as to give me a sheet of paper and an envelope, I will write a note
to accompany the packet."
Mr. Watson probably thought that this young man was daft, but it was not
his business to say so; he took down his erratic customer's address and
said that all his instructions would be attended to forthwith.
Next Lionel went to a tobacconist's shop, and (for he was a most lavish
young man) he ordered a prodigious quantity of "twist," which he had
made up into two parcels, the smaller one for Roderick, the larger to be
divided equally among the other keepers and gillies. The two parcels he
had put into a wooden case, which, again, was filled up with boxes of
vesuvians, three or four dozen or so; and it is to be imagined that when
_that_ small hamper was opened at Strathaivron there was many a chuckle
of gratification over the division of the splendid spoil.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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