21.03.2013 Views

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

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

— 29 —<br />

blow, <strong>the</strong> nail would go clean through <strong>the</strong> plaster, and half <strong>the</strong><br />

hammer after it, and Uncle Podger be precipitated aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st <strong>the</strong><br />

wall with force nearly sufficient to flatten his nose.<br />

Then we had to f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d <strong>the</strong> rule and <strong>the</strong> str<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and a<br />

new hole was made; and, about midnight, <strong>the</strong> picture would<br />

be up — very crooked and <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>secure, <strong>the</strong> wall for yards round<br />

look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g as if it had been smoo<strong>the</strong>d down with a rake, and everybody<br />

dead beat and wretched — except Uncle Podger.<br />

“There you are,” he would say, stepp<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g heavily off <strong>the</strong> chair<br />

<strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong> charwoman’s corns, and survey<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> mess he had<br />

made with evident pride. “Why, some people would have had a<br />

man <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> to do a little th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g like that!”<br />

Harris will be just that sort of man when he grows up, I<br />

know, and I told him so. I said I could not permit him to take<br />

so much labour up<strong>on</strong> himself. I said:<br />

“No; you get <strong>the</strong> paper, and <strong>the</strong> pencil, and <strong>the</strong> catalogue,<br />

and George write down, and I’ll do <strong>the</strong> work.”<br />

The first list we made out had to be discarded. It was clear<br />

that <strong>the</strong> upper reaches of <strong>the</strong> Thames would not allow of <strong>the</strong><br />

navigati<strong>on</strong> of a boat sufficiently large to take <strong>the</strong> th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs we had<br />

set down as <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dispensable; so we tore <strong>the</strong> list up, and looked<br />

at <strong>on</strong>e ano<strong>the</strong>r!<br />

George said:<br />

“You know we are <strong>on</strong> a wr<strong>on</strong>g track altoge<strong>the</strong>r. We must not<br />

th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k of <strong>the</strong> th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs we could do with, but <strong>on</strong>ly of <strong>the</strong> th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs<br />

that we can’t do without.”<br />

George comes out really quite sensible at times. You’d be<br />

surprised. I call that downright wisdom, not merely as regards<br />

<strong>the</strong> present case, but with reference to our trip up <strong>the</strong> river of<br />

life, generally. How many people, <strong>on</strong> that voyage, load up <strong>the</strong><br />

boat till it is ever <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> danger of swamp<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g with a store of foolish<br />

th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs which <strong>the</strong>y th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k essential to <strong>the</strong> pleasure and comfort<br />

of <strong>the</strong> trip, but which are really <strong>on</strong>ly useless lumber.<br />

How <strong>the</strong>y pile <strong>the</strong> poor little craft mast-high with f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e<br />

clo<strong>the</strong>s and big houses; with useless servants, and a host of<br />

swell friends that do not care twopence for <strong>the</strong>m, and that

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!