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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— 81 —<br />
and, as <strong>the</strong> two young men tittered and roared and exploded<br />
with laughter pretty c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>uously all through <strong>the</strong> s<strong>on</strong>g, it went<br />
exceed<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gly well.<br />
And yet that German Professor did not seem happy. At first,<br />
when we began to laugh, <strong>the</strong> expressi<strong>on</strong> of his face was <strong>on</strong>e of<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>tense surprise, as if laughter were <strong>the</strong> very last th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g he had<br />
expected to be greeted with. We thought this very funny: we<br />
said his earnest manner was half <strong>the</strong> humour. The slightest<br />
h<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>t <strong>on</strong> his part that he knew how funny he was would have<br />
completely ru<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ed it all. As we c<strong>on</strong>t<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ued to laugh, his surprise<br />
gave way to an air of annoyance and <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>dignati<strong>on</strong>, and he<br />
scowled fiercely round up<strong>on</strong> us all (except up<strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> two young<br />
men who, be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g beh<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>d him, he could not see). That sent us<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to c<strong>on</strong>vulsi<strong>on</strong>s. We told each o<strong>the</strong>r that it would be <strong>the</strong> death<br />
of us, this th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. The words al<strong>on</strong>e, we said, were enough to<br />
send us <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to fits, but added to his mock seriousness — oh, it<br />
was too much!<br />
In <strong>the</strong> last verse, he surpassed himself. He glowered round<br />
up<strong>on</strong> us with a look of such c<strong>on</strong>centrated ferocity that, but for<br />
our be<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g forewarned as to <strong>the</strong> German method of comic s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g,<br />
we should have been nervous; and he threw such a wail<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g<br />
note of ag<strong>on</strong>y <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to <strong>the</strong> weird music that, if we had not known<br />
it was a funny s<strong>on</strong>g, we might have wept.<br />
He f<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ished amid a perfect shriek of laughter. We said it was<br />
<strong>the</strong> funniest th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g we had ever heard <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> all our lives. We said<br />
how strange it was that, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> face of th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs like <strong>the</strong>se, <strong>the</strong>re<br />
should be a popular noti<strong>on</strong> that <strong>the</strong> Germans hadn’t any sense<br />
of humour. And we asked <strong>the</strong> Professor why he didn’t translate<br />
<strong>the</strong> s<strong>on</strong>g <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>to English, so that <strong>the</strong> comm<strong>on</strong> people could understand<br />
it, and hear what a real comic s<strong>on</strong>g was like.<br />
Then Herr Slossenn Boschen got up, and went <strong>on</strong> awful. He<br />
swore at us <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> German (which I should judge to be a s<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gularly<br />
effective language for that purpose), and he danced, and shook<br />
his fists, and called us all <strong>the</strong> English he knew. He said he had<br />
never been so <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>sulted <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> all his life.<br />
It appeared that <strong>the</strong> s<strong>on</strong>g was not a comic s<strong>on</strong>g at all. It was