up his line, and again took to his oars. They soon
reached the shore. Norman begged that he might be allowed to carry the
fish, which the laird had strung through the gills with a piece of osier
which he cut from the bank.

Norman felt very proud as he walked away with the fish, persuading
himself that he had had some part in catching them. They were, however,
rather heavy, and before he reached the house his arms began to ache.
He felt ashamed of acknowledging this, but continued changing them from
hand to hand. The laird observed him, and with a smile, asked if he
should take them. Norman was very glad to accept his offer.

"You will find playing a fly much harder work than carrying the fish you
catch with it, young gentleman," he remarked.

Before entering the house, Norman begged that he might have the fish
again, to show them to the ladies in the drawing-room. He rushed in
eagerly holding them up.

"See mamma! see Mrs Maclean! see granny! what fine fish the laird and I
have caught," he exclaimed.

"I congratulate you, my dear," said his grandmamma, "which of them did
you catch?"

"Oh, the laird hooked them, and I sat in the boat, and brought them some
of the way up to the house!" answered Norman.

Fanny burst into a merry laugh.

"You are always grinning at me," exclaimed Norman, turning round and
going out of the room.

Again his evil feelings were aroused.

"I won't be laughed at by a girl," he said to himself, as he made his
way towards the kitchen to deliver the fish to the cook. "I will pay
her off, and she will be sorry that she jeered at me."

"Well, young gentleman. These are fine fish," said the cook, "did you
catch them all?"

"No I didn't," answered Norman turning away, for he was afraid the cook
would laugh at him, as Fanny had done, if he boasted of having caught
them.

"Fanny, you should not laugh at Norman," observed Mrs Vallery, "he
cannot endure that sort of thing, as he has not been accustomed to it."

"But, my dear Mary, don't you think it would be better that he should
learn to endure it, and get accustomed to be joked with?" said Mrs
Maclean. "When he goes to school he will be compelled to bear the jokes
of his companions, if he gets angry on such occasions, they will only
joke at him the more, and he will have a very uncomfortable time of it."

"Poor boy! I am afraid what you say is true, but still, I do not
consider that his sister should be the person to teach hi