eight o'clock
Solitude and his own thoughts -- he must be on the best terms with all of these ; and he who can take kindly the largest allowance of these is likely to be the kindliest and truest with his fellow men . Tom had splendid sport that summer morning . As the great sun rose higher , the light morning breeze , which had curled the water , died away ; the light mist drew up into light cloud , and the light cloud vanished , into cloudland , for anything I know ; and still the fish rose , strange to say , though Tom felt it was an affair of minutes , and acted accordingly . At eight o'clock he was about a quarter of a mile from the house , at a point in the stream of rare charms both for the angler and the lover of gentle river beauty . The main stream was crossed by a lock , formed of a solid brick bridge with no parapets , under which the water rushed through four small arches , each of which could be closed in an instant by letting down a heavy wooden lock gate , fitted in grooves on the upper side of the bridge . Such locks are frequent in the west-country streams -- even at long distances from mills and millers , for whose behoof they were made in old days , that the supply of water to the mill might be easily regulated . All pious anglers should bless the memories of the old builders of them , for they are the very paradises of the great trout , who frequent the old brickwork and timber foundations .