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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 269 —<br />

“You,” c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ued he, po<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to a boy <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> middle; “what<br />

else was <strong>the</strong>re <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> this wood besides trees and bushes?”<br />

“Please, sir, <strong>the</strong>re was a torrent <strong>the</strong>re.”<br />

“Quite right; and what did <strong>the</strong> torrent do?”<br />

“Please, sir, it gurgled.”<br />

“No; no. Streams gurgle, torrents — ?”<br />

“Roar, sir.”<br />

“It roared. And what made it roar?”<br />

This was a poser. One boy — he was not our prize <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tellect,<br />

I admit — suggested <strong>the</strong> girl. To help us <strong>the</strong> Professor put his<br />

questi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> ano<strong>the</strong>r form:<br />

“When did it roar?”<br />

Our third boy, aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> com<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <strong>the</strong> rescue, expla<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed that it<br />

roared when it fell down am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> rocks. I th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k some of us<br />

had a vague idea that it must have been a cowardly torrent to<br />

make such a noise about a little th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g like this; a pluckier torrent,<br />

we felt, would have got up and g<strong>on</strong>e <strong>on</strong>, say<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

about it. A torrent that roared every time it fell up<strong>on</strong> a rock we<br />

deemed a poor spirited torrent; but <strong>the</strong> Professor seemed quite<br />

c<strong>on</strong>tent with it.<br />

“And what lived <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> this wood beside <strong>the</strong> girl?” was <strong>the</strong> next<br />

questi<strong>on</strong>.<br />

“Please, sir, birds, sir.”<br />

“Yes, birds lived <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> this wood. What else?”<br />

Birds seemed to have exhausted our ideas.<br />

“Come,” said <strong>the</strong> Professor, “what are those animals with<br />

tails, that run up trees?”<br />

We thought for a while, <strong>the</strong>n <strong>on</strong>e of us suggested cats.<br />

This was an error; <strong>the</strong> poet had said noth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g about cats;<br />

squirrels was what <strong>the</strong> Professor was try<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to get.<br />

I do not recall much more about this wood <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> detail. I <strong>on</strong>ly<br />

recollect that <strong>the</strong> sky was <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>troduced <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to it. In places where<br />

<strong>the</strong>re occurred an open<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> trees you could by look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

up see <strong>the</strong> sky above you; very often <strong>the</strong>re were clouds <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

this sky, and occasi<strong>on</strong>ally, if I remember rightly, <strong>the</strong> girl got<br />

wet.

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