The landlady is a friend of ours and lets us drink it in her back parlour, instead of in the bar, which would be improper for girls.
We found her awfully busy, making pies and jellies, and her two sisters were hurrying about with great hams, and pairs of chickens, and rounds of cold beef and lettuces, and pickled salmon and trays of crockery and glasses.
'It's for the angling competition,' she said.
We said, 'What's that ?' 'Why,' she said, slicing cucumber like beautiful machinery while she said it, 'a lot of anglers come down some particular day and fish one particular bit of the river.

And the one that catches most fish gets the prize.

They're fishing the pen above Stoneham Lock.

And they all come here to dinner.

So I've got my hands full and a trifle over.' We said, 'Couldn't we help ?' But she said, 'Oh, no, thank you.