rrupted by the noisy, if
necessary, shouts of football players, but we shall escape the
authoritative note of the bicycle bell."

There wasn't much that I could say in answer to this, so I walked down
the Broad in silence, and tried in vain to keep step with my companion.
Before we had reached Wadham his shuffle had got upon my nerves, and I
wished furiously that he would say something to me. He seemed to have
tucked his head into his neck, and to have retired into the world of
contemplation. As we entered the Parks I was seized with a wild desire
to run away. I had not uttered a word, and I had arrived at a state of
mind which prompted me to give a terrific yell, just to see what would
happen next. When I feel like that I must speak at least, so I said
that it looked as if it might rain. It is not likely that I should
have made such a remark if I could have thought of any other, and it
had the merit of not being startling and also of being true. But if I
had given the yell which I wished to give, I could not have produced a
greater effect upon the Warden. I think that he had forgotten my
existence, and for a moment he could not remember why I was with him.
He poked his head forward, and looked at me until I regretted my effort
at conversation, and was dreadfully afraid I should have to repeat it;
a remark about the weather in some way or other seems to lose all its
sparkle when it is repeated.

The Warden, however, had heard what I said, and when he had detached
himself from whatever he was thinking about, he answered me.

"I am not one of those who pretend to any extraordinary knowledge of
weather symptoms," he began, and he stood in the middle of the path,
while a gardener leant on his spade and watched us; "indeed, I have
often noticed that those who make the greatest pretensions of that kind
are themselves most frequently mistaken. In fact, my friend Dr.
Marshall, who wrote the meteorological reports for _The Times_
newspaper, was frequently himself in doubt whether or no to take out an
umbrella for a walk."

I did not venture to interrupt him again for some time, and my next
outbreak was quite unpremeditated. We were passing a college rugger
match, and a pass which was palpably forward escaped the notice of the
referee. I joined in the cry of "forward" which was raised, and the
Warden stopped once more and actually smiled. On this occasion I had
forgotten all about him, and my shout probably surpris