Weary Willies is not, then, an essential feature of the good fisherman, but there is no doubt that these exquisites are not common objects of the river bank. There seems to be some subtle relation between ancient clothes and angling, for, though I may go to extremes, I resemble far more the composite which would be obtained by photographing any dozen of anglers than do those immaculate sportsmen. As a class we are uncareful of our appearance, preferring comfort and freedom from anxiety to the neatest exterior, and as a class we suffer accordingly—but do not suffer from—the flouts of the uninstructed.
My own experience, then, is probably typical, and our fraternity is derided, which is not as it should be. Now, like all anglers who do their business in water-meadows, I must needs wear waders, or a rheumatic old age awaits me. Gum boots would be a concession to waggonette prejudices, but gum boots were invented by the devil as a special counterblast to the Second Commandment, and the devil does quite well enough as it is. Waders involve big socks, and big socks can only be worn inside brogues. The result is lumbering, but, after all, gum boots, even if one conceded, are only a shade less bulky. A broad-brimmed hat, again, is essential to comfort in bright as in rainy weather. A stream can only
