Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel
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— 272 —<br />
“I am glad of that. And how do you propose to do it?”<br />
“Well, I’se th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>’, sar, I must ha’ digressed.”<br />
I take it we digressed a little.<br />
At first, from some reas<strong>on</strong> or o<strong>the</strong>r, Hanover strikes you as<br />
an un<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>terest<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g town, but it grows up<strong>on</strong> you. It is <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> reality<br />
two towns; a place of broad, modern, handsome streets and<br />
tasteful gardens; side by side with a sixteenth-century town,<br />
where old timbered houses overhang <strong>the</strong> narrow lanes; where<br />
through low archways <strong>on</strong>e catches glimpses of galleried courtyards,<br />
<strong>on</strong>ce often thr<strong>on</strong>ged, no doubt, with troops of horse, or<br />
blocked with lumber<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g coach and six, wait<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g its rich merchant<br />
owner, and his fat placid Frau, but where now children<br />
and chickens scuttle at <strong>the</strong>ir will; while over <strong>the</strong> carved balc<strong>on</strong>ies<br />
hang d<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gy clo<strong>the</strong>s a-dry<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />
A s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gularly English atmosphere hovers over Hanover, especially<br />
<strong>on</strong> Sundays, when its shuttered shops and clang<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
bells give to it <strong>the</strong> suggesti<strong>on</strong> of a sunnier L<strong>on</strong>d<strong>on</strong>. Nor was<br />
this British Sunday atmosphere apparent <strong>on</strong>ly to myself, else<br />
I might have attributed it to imag<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ati<strong>on</strong>; even George felt it.<br />
Harris and I, return<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g from a short stroll with our cigars after<br />
lunch <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sunday afterno<strong>on</strong>, found him peacefully slumber<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> smoke-room’s easiest chair.<br />
“After all,” said Harris, “<strong>the</strong>re is someth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g about <strong>the</strong> British<br />
Sunday that appeals to <strong>the</strong> man with English blood <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> his<br />
ve<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>s. I should be sorry to see it altoge<strong>the</strong>r d<strong>on</strong>e away with, let<br />
<strong>the</strong> new generati<strong>on</strong> say what it will.”<br />
And tak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong>e each end of <strong>the</strong> ample settee, we kept<br />
George company.<br />
To Hanover <strong>on</strong>e should go, <strong>the</strong>y say, to learn <strong>the</strong> best German.<br />
The disadvantage is that outside Hanover, which is <strong>on</strong>ly<br />
a small prov<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ce, nobody understands this best German. Thus<br />
you have to decide whe<strong>the</strong>r to speak good German and rema<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Hanover, or bad German and travel about. Germany be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
separated so many centuries <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to a dozen pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>cipalities, is<br />
unfortunate <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> possess<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g a variety of dialects. Germans from<br />
Posen wishful to c<strong>on</strong>verse with men of Wurtemburg, have to