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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— 48 —<br />
that <strong>the</strong>y would thus get more drenched than ever. But not a<br />
drop ever fell, and it f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ished a grand day, and a lovely night<br />
after it.<br />
The next morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g we would read that it was go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to be a<br />
“warm, f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e to set-fair day; much heat;” and we would dress<br />
ourselves <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> flimsy th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs, and go out, and, half-an-hour after<br />
we had started, it would commence to ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> hard, and a bitterly<br />
cold w<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d would spr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g up, and both would keep <strong>on</strong> steadily<br />
for <strong>the</strong> whole day, and we would come home with colds and<br />
rheumatism all over us, and go to bed.<br />
The wea<strong>the</strong>r is a th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g that is bey<strong>on</strong>d me altoge<strong>the</strong>r. I never<br />
can understand it. The barometer is useless: it is as mislead<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
as <strong>the</strong> newspaper forecast.<br />
There was <strong>on</strong>e hang<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g up <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a hotel at Oxford at which I<br />
was stay<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g last spr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and, when I got <strong>the</strong>re, it was 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<br />
to “set fair.” It was simply pour<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g with ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> outside, and had<br />
been all day; and I couldn’t quite make matters out. I tapped<br />
<strong>the</strong> barometer, and it jumped up and po<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ted to “very dry.” The<br />
Boots stopped as he was pass<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and said he expected it meant<br />
to-morrow. I fancied that maybe it was th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g of <strong>the</strong> week<br />
before last, but Boots said, No, he thought not.<br />
I tapped it aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> next morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and it went up still higher,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> came down faster than ever. On Wednesday I<br />
went and hit it aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and <strong>the</strong> po<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ter went round towards “set<br />
fair,” “very dry,” and “much heat,” until it was stopped by <strong>the</strong><br />
peg, and couldn’t go any fur<strong>the</strong>r. It tried its best, but <strong>the</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>strument<br />
was built so that it couldn’t prophesy f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e wea<strong>the</strong>r any<br />
harder than it did without break<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g itself. It evidently wanted<br />
to go <strong>on</strong>, and prognosticate drought, and water fam<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e, and<br />
sunstroke, and simooms, and such th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs, but <strong>the</strong> peg prevented<br />
it, and it had to be c<strong>on</strong>tent with 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 <strong>the</strong> mere<br />
comm<strong>on</strong>place “very dry.”<br />
Meanwhile, <strong>the</strong> ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> came down <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a steady torrent, and <strong>the</strong><br />
lower part of <strong>the</strong> town was under water, ow<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <strong>the</strong> river hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
overflowed.<br />
Boots said it was evident that we were go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to have a pro-