"_Au Yeea!_" said Robert, in an undertone, to himself; while Lionel, as
soon as he perceived the extent of the catastrophe, felt as though some
black horror had fallen over the world. He could not say a word; he
seemed yearning to have the fish for one second again where he had
lately seen it--and then wouldn't he have gladly jumped into the stream,
gaff in hand, to secure the splendid trophy! But now--now there was
nothing but emptiness and a lifeless waste of hurrying water.
And as regards the young lady? Well, she smiled--in a disconcerted way,
to be sure; and then she said, with apparent resignation,
"I almost expected it. I never do hope to get a tugging salmon; all the
way through I was saying to myself we shouldn't land him. However,
there's no use fretting over lost fish. We did our best, Robert, didn't
we?"
"Indeed you could not hef done better, Miss Honnor," said the old
gillie. "There wass no mistake that you made at ahl."
"Very well," said she, cheerfully; and she looked in a kindly way
towards the old man. "I did everything right? and as for you, no one
will tell me that the best gillie in Ross-shire did anything wrong; so
we have nothing to reproach ourselves with, Robert, have we?"
"But it is such a dreadful misfortune!" exclaimed Lionel, who could
hardly understand this equanimity.
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