less waste of hurrying water.

And as regards the young lady? Well, she smiled--in a disconcerted way,
to be sure; and then she said, with apparent resignation,

"I almost expected it. I never do hope to get a tugging salmon; all the
way through I was saying to myself we shouldn't land him. However,
there's no use fretting over lost fish. We did our best, Robert, didn't
we?"

"Indeed you could not hef done better, Miss Honnor," said the old
gillie. "There wass no mistake that you made at ahl."

"Very well," said she, cheerfully; and she looked in a kindly way
towards the old man. "I did everything right? and as for you, no one
will tell me that the best gillie in Ross-shire did anything wrong; so
we have nothing to reproach ourselves with, Robert, have we?"

"But it is such a dreadful misfortune!" exclaimed Lionel, who could
hardly understand this equanimity. "Another couple of seconds, and you
must have had him."

"Well, now, Robert," said she, briskly, "shall we go up and try the tail
of the Long Pool? Or go down to the Stones?"

"We'll chist go up to the tail of the Long Pool, Miss Honnor," said he;
and he took the rod from her, picked up her waterproof, and set out;
while Lionel, without waiting for any further invitation, accompanied
her.

And as they walked along, picking their way among boulders and bracken
and heather, he was asking her whether the heart-breaking accidents and
bitter disappointments of salmon-fishing were not greater than its
rewards; as to which she lightly made answer:

"You must come and try. None of the gentlemen here are very eager
anglers; I suppose they get enough of salmon-fishing in the spring. Now
if you care about it at all, one rod is always enough for two people,
and we could arrange it this way--that you should take the pools where
wading is necessary. They'll get a pair of waders for you at the lodge.
At present old Robert does all the wading that is wanted; but of course
I don't care much about playing a fish that has been hooked by somebody
else. Now, you would take the wading pools."

"Oh, thank you," said he, "but I'm afraid I should show myself such a
duffer. I used to be a pretty fair trout-fisher when I was a lad," he
went on to say; and then it suddenly occurred to him that the offer of
her companionship ought not to be received in this hesitating fashion.
"But I shall be delighted to try my hand, if you will let me; and of
course you must see that I don't dist