A Quiet Day In The Country Among The Roach And Dace.

licions fragrance , and we could scarcely help repeating the old lines slightly varied : — " Sweet , sweet is the scent of the newly-mown hay , Gently borne by the breeze on a bright summer ' s day ; And cool is the sound of the musical plash Of the fish , as ho plays with a dart and a dash . 'Tis joy then to linger in gay golden hours , And dream ' midst the lines of the bright-tinted flowers . "

At snch a time as this , though tho sport , as my old friend promised at the outset , " wasn't much , " there is such a charm iu the surroundings as induces in the mind of the town-worried man a happy knack of forgetting the petty passages of life , which , by fche way , taken as a whole , are seldom worth remembering . The warmth and stillness of the day reminded me—perhaps from the mere force of

contrast—of the pitiless buffetinga of the whirl of business life . I roused myself to listen to the deep coo of the wood-pigeon in the neig hbouring copse , to admire the thrush in the full tide of love and song , to marvel whether the fortunes men are so eternally striving after are really worth all the care , anxiety , and long laborious hours that scrape capital together , coin by coin , perhaps never to enjoy it after all . Thence once more , mechanically , I fall into the old

Inxurions position , watching my Boat through the wreaths that curl upwards from my fragrant pipe , and take up the thread of my cogitations , precisely where I left it . A rustling in the adjacent bushes , and a voice calling from the green recesses of the wood , reminds us that dinner is ready ; and even amongst such philosophic meditations as I have shadowed forth , the inner man will insist npon his share of attention . I really believe with Byron that a man

" When hungry just then would take , Like Esau , for his birthright , a beefsteak ! " If the difference between your stuffy London streets and offices rnd the open-spaced country is so marked and welcome , none the less so is the bill of fare at a rustic roadside inn , and at your restaurant , broiling hot , and savouring of a thousand odours from the lower

regions of the culinary department underground . Here we have perfect little mountains of roses , freshly gathered from the gardens just outside , whilst the summer breeze blows in at the open window the long green tendrils of the creeping plants which sport about the casement , and give room for coy peeps every now and then at the bright parterre of flowers outside , whilst the air is

redolent of a myriad delicious scents . The poultry and the joints , the peas , potatoes , and asparagus , are all of " our own rearing , " for mine host is a little bit of a farmer in his way , besides a professional caterer for the inner requirements of man and beast . And , moreover , at the head of the table , smiling cheerily on the assembled group of visitors , is one

" Who can mix a lobster salad , Or troll out the latest ballad ; Who can flirt or pull a pair of sculls , all equally wifch ease !" And so , with hilarious happiness the cosy little dinner was discussed ; and , by the bye , it was served as I had seldom seen a dinner served before . None of your stiff , starchy waiters—half gardeners .

half flunkies - but by sedate maids , dressed in cleanly prints , and moving about noiselessly , with no impertinent " Duck , sir ? Yessir ! " "Peas , sir ? Yessir ! " and the like , which come in as the inevitable katsup to a City luncheon . Whether it was the admirable quality of the feast or the ripple of sparkling conversation that made it so difficult to get away from that table , I am iu a quandary to say ; but

I know the lobster salad was delightful , aud the Cliquob , with which we washed it down , was by no means to be despised . Back again to our fishing ground , to find both floats gone below , the reason of which we soon ascertained to be a fish that had wil y intentions of nibbling o : ir bait whilst we vvfire away ; and so on through the cool evening into twilight , with just enough exercise to

break the monotony , with nothing to tire or over excite . " This is just the sort of day I enjoy , " observed Bio . Bill , after counting up the basket , and finding we had just one hundred and seventeen , of all sorts and sizes : and in his view of the matter I most heartily concur .

The man came to " pack up , " and though the spoil was scarcely worth the trouble of lugging all the way to town , I could nofc resist the temptation , and having laid them aside , with orders to be taken to the station in time for the first train up in the morning . It was now some two hours since dinner , and we were glad to plead one of the many excuses for

drinking" A friend , good wine , or being dry—Or lost we should bo , by and bye—Or any other reason why !" _ Just then a sound of rough , though pleasant , melody came steal wg through the house , and the clinking of glasses , followed bv ap

pianse , told of a festive gathering not far off . 'Just come round and see the rustics enjoying themselves , " was the invitation of mine host . ' " With all my heart ! " and us we entered tho room , tho company , almost invisible at first , throngh clouds of smoke , respectfully made way for the " guv'nor " and myself , and the harmony went on as

gail y as before . ^ here is the "Chairman , " sitting on the seat of honour , and preserving " order" by frequent raps on the table with the bott-end ° * a large corkscrew , whilst the " gentleman" on whom . he bus called gnzes fixedly on the ceiling as he relates in song how that somebod y ' s bright eyes haunt him still , for which ho is rewarded with

* unanimous nod all round , and the i-xclamation in unison , " Your ealth and song , sir . " Whereupon the complimented one rises and expectorates before delivering himself of the profound bufc may ; animous sentiment— " A leg o ' mutton in Reigate Union , ancl nobod y here to oat it . " The joke is rewarded with genuine guffaws , and n S ? "tleman > W 1 M tfien sits down with all his blushing honours thick nPon him , is " entitled to a call . " He accordingly picks out somebod y

A Quiet Day In The Country Among The Roach And Dace.

who has " a singing face , but the gentleman thus adulated blushes ind declares ho has a "terrible cold , " and , " never sang a song in all his life ! " After a little coaxing , however , ho looks very fi wily and solemnly at nothing , and trolls out "Como toyoar Martha , d > , " in the uourse of which he gives somo very pathetic roiuiniscemvs of tho bathing season at Margate , at which the company laugh consumedly .

Then there is another toast , something about having " those in onr arms whom wo love in our hearts , " which evokes a general murmur of satisfaction ; and in turn another gentleman and yet another is " called , " tho penalty for non-compliance being " glasses round . " Tho penalty , so far as I could learn , is seldom incurred , and it has never yet been known to havo been paid .

Thus , in alternation of song and sentiment , tho " natives , " who appeared to be a steady , easy-going set of working men—a pleasant contrast to tho sottish , rollicking fellows of their ilk whom yon find in town—enjoyed themselves " within the limits of becoming mirth , " and at ten o'clock , tho hour fixed by the licensing justices for closing in tho country , they withdrew , amidst mutunl expressions of friendship

and anticipations of their " next merry meeting . " Nature's sweet restorer , balmy sleep , " came with kindly stealth that night , and it was not until the swallows twittered around my little window , through which the sun was shining gloriously , that I arose , buoyant and refreshed , and started for town , but uot without the distinct avowal that I would "come again , " which decidedly I

mean to do as soon as possible . It may be said that , although we had enough sport to keep us alive , the " fishing wasn ' t much . " But , true to his promise , Bro . Bill and his friend , " made it up in other ways . " And , as I sit by my own window , with the setting snn lighting up the distant spires and chimney pots , which are my only panorama

I often think how the " poor angler " is vilified by those who take no pleasure in the pursuit . Let them ! When T hear them scoffed at for being unlucky , I have a shrewd idea that , somehow or other , they always get safely out of their troubles , and in the end usually spend a merry evening in very agreeable society .

A meeting of the General Committe of the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls was held ou Thursday , at Freemasons' Hall , under the presidency of Col . Creaton , when there were also present Bros . Woodford , Tattershall , Letchworth , Rucker , Dubois , Gladwell , Caney , C . G .

Brown , Webb , Barton , Spooner , Hedges Secretary , E . 0 . Massey . The minutes of the General Committee of 29 th June were read and verified , and the minutes of the Joint Committee as to proposed alteration of the days of election , the Quarterly General Court of 8 th instant , and

the House Committee of same date , were read for information . The expenditure of £ 241 recommended by the House Committee for inside painting of the School buildings and the Infirmary , was authorised ; also some alterations for improving the ventilation of the Dining and Committee

rooms . The Secretary reported that the work of examining the system of drainage at the Schools had been commenced . Bro . Col . Leach ' s offer of further assistance in the matter had been accepted , and the House Committee had made arrangements so that no unnecessary delay could occur

in completing the work . The opinion of the Grand Registrar , Bro , iEneas Mclntyre , Q . C , upon the question , whether a girl who has a sister in these Schools , could be admitted by purchase . Bro . McTntyre ' s opinion is that , according to the rules as they now stand , there is nothing *

to prevent such admission by purchase ; he is also of opinion that in cases of purchase a petition is unnecessary , and that if her birth qualification is established , she can be admitted . This opinion having been read and ordered to be entered on the minutes ,

it was proposed by Bro . Dubois , seconded by Bro . Letchworth , that the opinion be acted upon in the case of Fanny Wright , who had been brought forward by Bro . Molesworth ; whereupon it was moved by Bro . C . G . Brown , and seconded , that the question be deferred until after the next

meeting of the Quarterly Court . On being put to the vote , the amendment was lost ; and the original motion was afterwards carried by a large majority . Bro . Rucker gave notice of motion for the Quarterly Court , that a

gratuity of thirty-five guineas be given to Miss Griggs , one of tbe assistant governesses , who had been appointed mistress of the Dublin Masonic Female School , after having been in the Royal Masonic Institution for Girls for a period of twenty years .

At the meeting of the North London Chapter of Improvement , held on the 27 th inst ., at the Canonbury Tavern , St . Mary ' s Road , N ., Comp . Osborn filled the chair of Z ., Gregory H ., Dean J ., John Evans Sheffield S . E .,

Knight S . N ., Bird P . S ., Edmonds Preceptor . The ceremony of exaltation was ably rehearsed , and altogether an instructive evening was spent . The Companions meet every Thursday evening .