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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 180 —<br />

how he had caught it early <strong>on</strong>e morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, with bleak; and <strong>the</strong>n<br />

he left, and a stolid, solemn-look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, middle-aged <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dividual<br />

came <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and sat down over by <strong>the</strong> w<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dow.<br />

N<strong>on</strong>e of us spoke for a while; but, at length, George turned<br />

to <strong>the</strong> new comer, and said:<br />

“I beg your pard<strong>on</strong>, I hope you will forgive <strong>the</strong> liberty that<br />

we — perfect strangers <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> neighbourhood — are tak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, but<br />

my friend here and myself would be so much obliged if you<br />

would tell us how you caught that trout up <strong>the</strong>re.”<br />

“Why, who told you I caught that trout!” was <strong>the</strong> surprised<br />

query.<br />

We said that nobody had told us so, but somehow or o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

we felt <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ctively that it was he who had d<strong>on</strong>e it.<br />

“Well, it’s a most remarkable th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g — most remarkable,” answered<br />

<strong>the</strong> stolid stranger, laugh<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g; “because, as a matter of<br />

fact, you are quite right. I did catch it. But fancy your guess<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

it like that. Dear me, it’s really a most remarkable th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.”<br />

And <strong>the</strong>n he went <strong>on</strong>, and told us how it had taken him half<br />

an hour to land it, and how it had broken his rod. He said he<br />

had weighed it carefully when he reached home, and it had<br />

turned <strong>the</strong> scale at thirty-four pounds.<br />

He went <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> his turn, and when he was g<strong>on</strong>e, <strong>the</strong> landlord<br />

came <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> to us. We told him <strong>the</strong> various histories we had heard<br />

about his trout, and he was immensely amused, and we all<br />

laughed very heartily.<br />

“Fancy Jim Bates and Joe Muggles and Mr. J<strong>on</strong>es and old<br />

Billy Maunders all tell<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g you that <strong>the</strong>y had caught it. Ha! ha!<br />

ha! Well, that is good,” said <strong>the</strong> h<strong>on</strong>est old fellow, laugh<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

heartily. “Yes, <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>the</strong> sort to give it me, to put up <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> my<br />

parlour, if <strong>the</strong>y had caught it, <strong>the</strong>y are! Ha! ha! ha!”<br />

And <strong>the</strong>n he told us <strong>the</strong> real history of <strong>the</strong> fish. It seemed<br />

that he had caught it himself, years ago, when he was quite a<br />

lad; not by any art or skill, but by that unaccountable luck that<br />

appears to always wait up<strong>on</strong> a boy when he plays <strong>the</strong> wag from<br />

school, and goes out fish<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong> a sunny afterno<strong>on</strong>, with a bit of<br />

str<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g tied <strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong> end of a tree.

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