addled his legs, and
made a desperate effort to fling the trout over his head.

The slender rod would not, however, permit of such treatment. It bent
double, and the excited piscator was fain to wind up--an operation which
he performed so hastily that the line became entangled with the winch of
the reel, which brought it to a dead-lock. With a gasp of anxiety he
flung down the rod, and seizing the line with his hands, hauled out a
beautiful yellow trout of about a quarter of a pound in weight, and five
or six inches long.

To describe the joy of Mr Sudberry at this piece of good fortune were
next to impossible. Sitting down on his fishing-basket, with the trout
full in view, he drew forth a small flask of sherry, a slice of bread,
and a lump of cheese, and proceeded then and there to regale himself.
He cared nothing now for the loss of his dinner; no thought gave he to
the anticipated scold from neglected Mrs Sudberry. He gave full scope
to his joy at the catching of this, his first trout. He looked up at
the cloud that obscured the sun, and forgave it, little thinking,
innocent man, that the said cloud had done him a good turn that day. He
smiled benignantly on water, earth, and sky. He rubbed his face, and
when he did so he thought of the measles and laughed--laughed heartily,
for by that time he had discovered the true cause of his misery; and
although we cannot venture to say that he forgave the midges, sure we
are that he was greatly mollified towards them.

Does any ignorant or cynical reader deem such an extravagance of delight
inconsistent with so trifling an occasion? Let him ponder before he
ventures to exclaim, "Ridiculous!" Let him look round upon this busy,
whirling, incomprehensible world, and note how its laughing and weeping
multitudes are oft-times tickled to uproarious merriment, or whelmed in
gloomy woe, by the veriest trifles, and then let him try to look with
sympathy on Mr Sudberry and his first trout.

Having carefully deposited the fish in his basket, he once more resumed
his rod and his expectations.

But if the petty annoyances that beset our friend in the fore part of
that day may be styled harassing, those with which he was overwhelmed
towards evening may be called exasperating. First of all he broke the
top of his rod, a misfortune which broke his heart entirely. But
recollecting suddenly that he had three spare top-pieces in the butt,
his heart was cemented and bound up, so