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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 49 —<br />

l<strong>on</strong>ged spell of grand wea<strong>the</strong>r some time, and read out a poem<br />

which was pr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ted over <strong>the</strong> top of <strong>the</strong> oracle, about<br />

“L<strong>on</strong>g foretold, l<strong>on</strong>g last;<br />

Short notice, so<strong>on</strong> past.”<br />

The f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e wea<strong>the</strong>r never came that summer. I expect that mach<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e<br />

must have been referr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to <strong>the</strong> follow<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g spr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g.<br />

Then <strong>the</strong>re are those new style of barometers, <strong>the</strong> l<strong>on</strong>g<br />

straight <strong>on</strong>es. I never can make head or tail of those. There is<br />

<strong>on</strong>e side for 10 a.m. yesterday, and <strong>on</strong>e side for 10 a.m. to-day;<br />

but you can’t always get <strong>the</strong>re as early as ten, you know. It rises<br />

or falls for ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> and f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e, with much or less w<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d, and <strong>on</strong>e end<br />

is “Nly” and <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r “Ely” (what’s Ely got to do with it?), and<br />

if you tap it, it doesn’t tell you anyth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. And you’ve got to correct<br />

it to sea-level, and reduce it to Fahrenheit, and even <strong>the</strong>n I<br />

d<strong>on</strong>’t know <strong>the</strong> answer.<br />

But who wants to be foretold <strong>the</strong> wea<strong>the</strong>r? It is bad enough<br />

when it comes, without our hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> misery of know<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

about it beforehand. The prophet we like is <strong>the</strong> old man who,<br />

<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> particularly gloomy-look<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g of some day<br />

when we particularly want it to be f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e, looks round <strong>the</strong> horiz<strong>on</strong><br />

with a particularly know<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g eye, and says:<br />

“Oh no, sir, I th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k it will clear up all right. It will break all<br />

right enough, sir.”<br />

“Ah, he knows”, we say, as we wish him good-morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and<br />

start off; “w<strong>on</strong>derful how <strong>the</strong>se old fellows can tell!”<br />

And we feel an affecti<strong>on</strong> for that man which is not at all<br />

lessened by <strong>the</strong> circumstances of its not clear<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g up, but c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>u<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />

to ra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> steadily all day.<br />

“Ah, well,” we feel, “he did his best.”<br />

For <strong>the</strong> man that prophesies us bad wea<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> c<strong>on</strong>trary,<br />

we enterta<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong>ly bitter and revengeful thoughts.<br />

“Go<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to clear up, d’ye th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k?” we shout, cheerily, as we<br />

pass.

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