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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 227 —<br />

CHAPTER III<br />

Harris’s <strong>on</strong>e fault — Harris and <strong>the</strong> Angel — A patent bicycle<br />

lamp — The ideal saddle — The “Overhauler” — His eagle eye —<br />

His method — His cheery c<strong>on</strong>fidence — His simple and <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>expensive<br />

tastes — His appearance — How to get rid of him — George as<br />

prophet — The gentle art of mak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong>eself disagreeable <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a foreign<br />

t<strong>on</strong>gue — George as a student of human nature — He proposes<br />

an experiment — His Prudence — Harris’s support secured, up<strong>on</strong><br />

c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s.<br />

ON M<strong>on</strong>day afterno<strong>on</strong> Harris came round; he had a cycl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

paper <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> his hand.<br />

I said: “If you take my advice, you will leave it al<strong>on</strong>e.”<br />

Harris said: “Leave what al<strong>on</strong>e?”<br />

I said: “That brand-new, patent, revoluti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> cycl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,<br />

record-break<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, Tomfoolishness, whatever it may be, <strong>the</strong> advertisement<br />

of which you have <strong>the</strong>re <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> your hand.”<br />

He said: “Well, I d<strong>on</strong>’t know; <strong>the</strong>re will be some steep hills<br />

for us to negotiate; I guess we shall want a good brake.”<br />

I said: “We shall want a brake, I agree; what we shall not<br />

want is a mechanical surprise that we d<strong>on</strong>’t understand, and<br />

that never acts when it is wanted.”<br />

“This th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,” he said, “acts automatically.”<br />

“You needn’t tell me,” I said. “I know exactly what it will do,<br />

by <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ct. Go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g uphill it will jamb <strong>the</strong> wheel so effectively<br />

that we shall have to carry <strong>the</strong> mach<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e bodily. The air at <strong>the</strong><br />

top of <strong>the</strong> hill will do it good, and it will suddenly come right<br />

aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>. Go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g downhill it will start reflect<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g what a nuisance<br />

it has been. This will lead to remorse, and f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ally to despair.<br />

It will say to itself: ‘I’m not fit to be a brake. I d<strong>on</strong>’t help <strong>the</strong>se<br />

fellows; I <strong>on</strong>ly h<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>der <strong>the</strong>m. I’m a curse, that’s what I am;’ and,<br />

without a word of warn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, it will ‘chuck’ <strong>the</strong> whole bus<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ess.<br />

That is what that brake will do. Leave it al<strong>on</strong>e. You are a good<br />

fellow,” I c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ued, “but you have <strong>on</strong>e fault.”<br />

“What?” he asked, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dignantly.<br />

“You have too much faith,” I answered. “If you read an advertisement,<br />

you go away and believe it. Every experiment that

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