lows are not
all like that."

"No," said Morny. "But I hadn't done. Next minute he shouted after me,
`Halt!' and when I stopped and looked round he called out, `Ahoy! Jim!'
and another of the guards with his piece over his shoulder marched up to
where we stood, and the man I had first spoken to turned to me and said,
`Here, you tell him what you said to me.'"

"And did you?" cried Rodd.

"I felt as if the words would choke me at first, but just then I seemed
to see the trout hot and brown upon a dish and my father, sick and pale,
looking at them longingly, and that made me speak to the other guard,
who was scowling at me. And as I spoke a grim smile came over his face,
and his eyes twinkled, and he showed his teeth. `All right, youngster,'
he said. `Got a rod?' I shook my head. `No line? No flies?' I shook
my head again and again. `All right, young 'un,' he said. `You come to
me two hours before sundown; I shall be on duty then. I'll set you up
with a bit of tackle. But I say, you Frenchies don't know how to throw
a fly!' `I used to,' I replied, `at home, in France.' `Lor', did you?'
he said. `Hear that, Billy? I never knew as a Frenchman knew how to
fish. But that's all right, youngster--only my ignorance. A
fisherman's a fisherman the wide world round.'"

"Well?" said Rodd, for his companion had stopped.

"Well?" said Morny.

"Go on."

"What about?"

"Well, you are a chap! Don't you know I was always very fond of
fishing?"

"I know you like fishing, for I saw you enjoying it that day when--"

"Steady!" cried Rodd.

"I've done," said Morny.

"But I don't want you to have done."

"Why, you forbade me to touch upon what you call dangerous ground."

"Bah! That's another thing. I don't want you to be grateful. But of
course I like to hear about you going fishing. I could almost wish that
you and I could go and have a few hours together on Dartmoor now."

"And we cannot," said Morny quietly.

"No; but we might try for bonito or dolphins. But go on. I want you to
tell me about how you got on. Did you go to that prison guard two hours
before sundown?"

"Oh yes. He was as friendly as ever he could be, just because he found
that I was fond of fishing, and lent me his rod and line and flies that
he made himself, and told me the best places to go to, and he was as
pleased as I was when I came back to the prison with a dozen and a half
of little trout. Oh, I remember so well alm