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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 50 —<br />

“Well, no, sir; I’m afraid it’s settled down for <strong>the</strong> day,” he<br />

replies, shak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g his head.<br />

“Stupid old fool!” we mutter, “what’s he know about it?”<br />

And, if his portent proves correct, we come back feel<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g still<br />

more angry aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>st him, and with a vague noti<strong>on</strong> that, somehow<br />

or o<strong>the</strong>r, he has had someth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g to do with it.<br />

It was too bright and sunny <strong>on</strong> this especial morn<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g for<br />

George’s blood-curdl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g read<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs about “Bar. fall<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,” “atmospheric<br />

disturbance, pass<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> an oblique l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e over Sou<strong>the</strong>rn<br />

Europe,” and “pressure <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>creas<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,” to very much upset us: and<br />

so, f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g that he could not make us wretched, and was <strong>on</strong>ly<br />

wast<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g his time, he sneaked <strong>the</strong> cigarette that I had carefully<br />

rolled up for myself, and went.<br />

Then Harris and I, hav<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ished up <strong>the</strong> few th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs left <strong>on</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> table, carted out our luggage <strong>on</strong> to <strong>the</strong> doorstep, and waited<br />

for a cab.<br />

There seemed a good deal of luggage, when we put it all<br />

toge<strong>the</strong>r. There was <strong>the</strong> Gladst<strong>on</strong>e and <strong>the</strong> small hand-bag,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> two hampers, and a large roll of rugs, and some four<br />

or five overcoats and mac<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>toshes, and a few umbrellas, and<br />

<strong>the</strong>n <strong>the</strong>re was a mel<strong>on</strong> by itself <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> a bag, because it was too<br />

bulky to go <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> anywhere, and a couple of pounds of grapes <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

ano<strong>the</strong>r bag, and a Japanese paper umbrella, and a fry<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g pan,<br />

which, be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g too l<strong>on</strong>g to pack, we had wrapped round with<br />

brown paper.<br />

It did look a lot, and Harris and I began to feel ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />

ashamed of it, though why we should be, I can’t see. No cab<br />

came by, but <strong>the</strong> street boys did, and got <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>terested <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> show,<br />

apparently, and stopped.<br />

Biggs’s boy was <strong>the</strong> first to come round. Biggs is our greengrocer,<br />

and his chief talent lies <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> secur<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> services of <strong>the</strong><br />

most aband<strong>on</strong>ed and unpr<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>cipled errand-boys that civilisati<strong>on</strong><br />

has as yet produced. If anyth<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g more than usually villa<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ous<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> boy-l<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>e crops up <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> our neighbourhood, we know<br />

that it is Biggs’s latest. I was told that, at <strong>the</strong> time of <strong>the</strong> Great<br />

Coram Street murder, it was promptly c<strong>on</strong>cluded by our street

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