# ■ Chapter 14 Work， washing， and fishing

We woke up late the next morning， and it was about ten o'clock when we moved off． We had already decided that we wanted to make this a good day's journey．

We agreed that we would row， and not tow， the boat． Harris said that George and I should row，and he would steer．I did not like this idea at all．I said that he and George should row，so that I could rest a little．I thought that I was doing too much of the work on this trip． I was beginning to feel strongly about it．

I always think that I am doing too much work． It is not be－cause I do not like work． I do like it． I find it very interesting．I can sit and look at it for hours． You cannot give me too much work．I like to collect it．My study is full of it．

And I am very careful with my work， too．Why，some of the work in my study has been there for years， and it has not got dirty or anything．That is because I take care of it．

However，although I love work， I do not want to take other poople's work from them But I get it without asking for it，and this worries me．

George says that I should not worry about it． In fact， he thinks that perhaps I should have more work．However， I ex－pect he only says that to make me feel better．

In a boat， I have noticed that each person thinks that he is doing all the work． Harris's idea was that both George and I had let him do all the work． George said that Harris never did anything except eat and sleep． He， George， had done all the work．He said that he had never met such lazy people as Harris and me．

That amused Harris．

George！ Work！'he laughed．'If George worked for half an hour， it would kill him． Have you ever seen George work？'he added， and he turned to me．

I agreed with Harris that I had never seen George work．

Well，how can you know？'George answered Harris．

You're always asleep． Have you ever seen Harris awake， ex-cept at meal times？'George asked me．

I had to tell the truth and agree with George．Harris had done very little work in the boat．

Oh， come on！ I've done more than old J．， anyway，'Harris replied．

Well，it would be difficult to do less，'George added．

Oh，him，he thinks he's a passenger and doesn't need to work！'Harris said．

And that was how grateful they were to me， after I had brought them and their old boat all the way up from Kingston；after I had organized everything for them；and after I had tak－en care of them！

Finally， we decided that Harris and George would row until we got past Reading， and then I would tow the boat from there．

We reached Reading at about eleven o'clock． We did not stay long， though， because the river is dirty there．However， af－ter that it becomes very beautiful．Goring， on the left， and Streatley，on the right，are both very pretty places．Earlier，we had decided to go on to Wallingford that day， but the river was lovely at Streatley．We left our boat at the bridge，and we went into the village．we had lunch at a little pub，and Montmorency enjoyed that．

We stayed at Streatley for two days， and we took our clothes to be washed．We had tried to wash them ourselves， in the river，and George had told us what to do．This was not a suc－cess！ Before we washed them， they were very，very dirty，but we could just wear them． After we had washed them， they were worse than before．However，the river between Reading and Henley was cleaner because we had taken all the dirt from it， and we had washed it into our clothes． The woman who washed them at Streatley made us pay three times the usual price．

We paid her， and did not say a word about the cost．

The river near Streatley and Goring is excellent for fishing．You can sit and fish there all day．

Some people do sit and fish all day．They never catch any fish， of course． You may catch a dead cat or two， but you will not catch any fish． When you go for a walk by the river， the fish come and stand half out of the water， with their mouths open for bread．And if you go swimming， they all come and stare at you and get in your way．But you cannot catch them．

On the second evening， George and I and Montmorency（ I do not know where Harris was） went for a walk to Walling－ford．On the way back to the boat， we stopped at a little pub，by the river．

We went in and sat down．There was an old man there．He was smoking a pipe， and we began to talk to him．

He told us that it had been a fine day today， and we told him that it had been a fine day yesterday．Then we all told each other that we thought it would be a fine day tomorrow．

We told him that we were on holiday on the river，and that we were going to leave the next day． Then we stopped talking for a few minutes， and we began to look round the room． We noticed a glass case on the wall． In it there was a very big fish．

The old man saw that we were looking at this fish．

Ah，'he said，' that's a big fish， isn't it？'

Yes， it is，'I replied．

Yes，'the old man continued，'it was sixteen years ago． I caught him just by the bridge．'

Did you，really？'George asked．

Yes，'the man answered．'They told me he was in the river． I said I'd catch him， and I did． You don't see many fish as big as that one now． Well， good night， then．'And he went out．

After that，we could not take our eyes off the fish． It really was a fine fish．We were still looking at it when another man came in．He had a glass of beer in his hand，and he also looked at the fish．

That's a fine， big fish， isn't it？'George said to him．

Ah，yes，'the man replied．He drank some of his beer，and then he added，'Perhaps you weren't here when it was caught？'

No，'we said，and we explained that we did not live there．We said that we were only there on holiday．

Ah， well，'the man went on，'it was nearly five years ago that I caught that fish．'

Oh，did you catch it then？'I asked．

Yes，'he replied．'I caught him by the lock…Well，good-night to you．'

Five minutes later a third man came in and described how he had caught the fish， early one morning． He left， and another man came in and sat down by the window．

Nobody spoke for some time．Then George turned to the man and said，'Excuse me，I hope you don't mind， but my friend and I， who are only on holiday here， would like to ask you a question．Could you tell us how you caught that fish？'

Who told you that I caught that fish？'he asked．

We said that nobody had told us．We just felt that he was the man who had caught it．

Well， that's very strange，'he answered， with a little laugh．' You're right． I did catch it．'And he went on to tell us how he had done it，and that it had taken him half an hour to land it．

When he left， the landlord came in to talk to us．We told him the different stories we had heard about his fish．He was very amused and we all laughed about it．And then he told us the re－al story of the fish．

He said that he had caught it himself， years ago， when he was a boy．It was a lovely，sunny afternoon，and instead of go－ing to school， he went fishing． That was when he caught the fish． Everyone thought he was very clever． Even his teacher thought he had done well and did not punish him．

He had to go out of the room just then， and we turned to look at the fish again． George became very excited about it， and he climbed up onto a chair to see it better．

And then George fell，and he caught hold of the glass case to save himself．It came down， with George and the chair on top of it．

Is the fish all right？'I cried．

I hope so， 'George said． He stood up carefully and looked round．But the fish was lying on the floor-in a thousand pieces！

It was not a real fish．

■ 14 幹活、洗衣和釣魚

第二天早晨我們很晚才醒，直到十點鐘才出發。我們已經打定主意，今天要好好地玩上一天。

我們一致同意，今天改划船，不拉縴了。哈里斯說喬治和我應該划船，他來掌舵。我根本不同意。我說應該讓他和喬治划船，而讓我休息休息。我覺得在這次旅程中，我乾的活太多了，對此我愈發不能忍受了。

每次我都覺得自己乾的活太多了。這倒不是我不喜歡幹活。我熱愛工作，也感到工作很有趣。我能坐著幾個小時看要乾的活兒。你給我多少工作，我都不嫌多，因為我喜歡收藏，書房裡都堆滿了。

這些工作，我可愛惜呢。很多放在書房裡有年頭了，可是一點灰塵都沒有。那是因為我愛護它們。

儘管我喜歡工作，可我不想把別人的工作也攬過來。往往是我沒要求，它卻找上門來，真讓我煩惱。

喬治勸我對這個問題不必太在意。實際上，他覺得我應該再多幹點呢。我把他說的這些只當成安慰我的話。

我注意到，無論在哪條船上，每個人都覺得自己把所有的活都幹了。哈里斯覺得喬治和我讓他幹了所有的活。喬治說哈里斯除了睡覺吃飯，什麼也沒幹。只有他——喬治，才真正把什麼都包了。他說，從來沒有見過象我和哈里斯這麼懶的人。

哈里斯聽了此話又好氣，又好笑。

“什麼？！喬治幹活？”他笑道。“他只要幹上半個小時準得要了他的命！你見過喬治幹過活沒有？”他轉過臉來問我。

我同意哈里斯的話，確實沒見喬治幹過活。

“哼！你們怎麼會知道我乾的活呢？”喬治反駁哈里斯一句。“你總在睡，睡，還是睡！你看見過哈里斯醒的時候嗎？除了吃飯？”他轉過臉來問我。

我只能說實話，支持喬治的說法，哈里斯在船上確實沒幹過什麼。

“哦，得了，我總比老傑幹得多吧，”哈里斯回答說。

“是的，想比他幹得更少有點不大可能，”喬治附和道。

“他呀，把自己當成船上的乘客，不必工作！”哈里斯說。

這就是他們對我的報答！我把他們兩個和這條破船從金斯敦一直拉到這裡，為他們安排好一切，照顧他們一路，這就是他們對我的報答！

最後我們決定由哈里斯和喬治把船劃到雷丁，從雷丁以後由我來拉縴。

將近十一點鐘，我們到了雷丁。我們沒在那裡久留，因為河水很不乾淨，然而雷丁以上那一段河上風光就非常可愛了。左邊有戈靈，右邊是斯特雷特利，都是景緻優美的地方。我們本來打算當天趕到沃靈福德，可是斯特雷特利這一帶景色使我們流連忘返。我們便在橋邊棄舟登岸，走進了這個小村莊，在一個小酒館吃了午餐，“元帥”在這裡也玩得很開心。

我們在斯特雷特利住了兩天，把衣服洗了。這次是我們在河裡自己洗的，喬治告訴我們怎麼洗，我們就怎麼洗。結果是令人不堪回首的失敗。沒洗之前，我們的衣服已經很髒了，但是還可以對付穿。可是，洗了之後呢，反倒比以前更糟了。不過，從雷丁到亨利的河水一下子更清澈了，因為我們把河裡所有汙物都收集到一起，洗到我們的衣服裡去了。斯特雷特利的洗衣婦管我們要了平常價格的三倍才肯給我們洗。

我們照單付款，一聲也沒報怨我們的花費。

斯特雷特利和戈靈附近的河上可是個釣魚的絕佳去處，你可以坐在這兒，整整釣上一天。

確實有人整天坐著釣魚，當然，不過就是釣不著。也許你能釣上一兩隻死貓，可你別想釣著魚。你在河邊散步時，魚游過來，一半身子站在水外，張著嘴要麵包。要是你去游泳，它們全都游過來，瞪著你看，擋著你的路。可是想抓住它們，沒門。

第二天晚上，喬治，我，還有“元帥”去沃靈福德轉了一圈（哈里斯不知道上哪兒去了）。回來的時候，經過河邊一家小酒館，我們歇了歇腳。

我們走進去，坐下來。還有一位老先生也在那裡，抽著菸斗，我們便和他聊起來。

他對我們說，今天天氣很好。我們對他說，昨天天氣也不錯。然後我們一起預測，明天天氣大概也不會壞。

我們又告訴他我們在河上度假旅行，明天就又要啟程了。接著，談話沉默了一會兒，我們四處打量著屋子，最後眼光轉到牆上掛著的一個玻璃匣子，裡面裝著一條大魚。

那位老先生看到我們正盯著那條魚。

“啊，”他說，“真是條大魚，是吧？”

“是啊，是啊，”我答道。

“那是……”老人繼續說，“十六年前了，我在橋邊釣上來的。”

“哦，是嗎？”喬治問道。

“是的，”老人答道。“他們說河裡有一條這樣的魚。我就說，我要把它釣上來，真的就釣上來了。現在這麼大個的魚很少見了。好吧，再見吧。”說著就走了出去。

我們一直還目不轉睛地看著那條魚，真是條出色的魚。我們正看著，又進來一個人。他手裡拿著一杯啤酒，眼睛也盯著那條魚。

“可真是條大魚啊！”喬治對那人說。

“啊，是的，”那人回答說。接著喝了一口啤酒，又說道：“這條魚給釣上來的時候，你們也許還不在這兒吧？”

“不在，”我們對他說，我們不住在這兒，只是來這裡度假。

“啊，是這樣，”那人說，“五年前吧，我釣到了這條魚。”

“那麼，這魚是你釣到的了？”我問。

“正是的。”他答。“在那邊水閘下釣到的……好吧，那麼再見吧。”

五分鐘之後，進來了第三個客人，跟我們描述了一番他是怎麼樣一大早就釣著這條魚的。他走了，又來了一位，在窗口坐下來。

有一會兒，我們都沒說話。然後喬治轉過去向那個人說道：“請原諒，希望您別介意。我的朋友和我在此度假，恕我們冒昧問您一個問題。能否請您談一談您是怎樣釣到那條魚的，好嗎？”

“誰告訴你們說那條魚是我釣著的？”他問。

我們說，誰也沒有告訴我們，不過我們覺得那條魚是他釣著的。

“啊！真是奇事，”他回答道，笑了起來。“一點不錯，是我釣著的。”接著他又描述了他怎麼釣著的，怎麼花了半個小時才把這條魚拖上岸的。

他走了以後，酒店老闆進了屋，來和我們聊天。我們就把剛才聽到的各人的故事給他又講了一遍。他覺得非常有趣，我們一起捧腹大笑。然後他告訴了我們這條魚真正的來歷。

他告訴我們這魚是他自己釣上來的。那時他還是個毛孩子呢！記得那是個陽光明媚的下午，他沒去上學，溜出去釣魚，就是那會兒把魚釣上來的。大家都誇他聰明，就連老師也說他幹得不錯，因此沒有懲罰他。

這時，老闆有事要出去一下，我們又轉過頭來看著這條魚發呆。喬治心情激動，抑制不住，連忙爬到椅上看個真切。

突然，喬治摔了下去，他伸手抓住玻璃匣子支撐他一下，誰知它也滑下來，喬治連人帶椅一齊壓在上面。

“魚沒事吧？”我叫了一聲。

“但願沒事。”喬治說著，小心翼翼地站起身，四下看了看。可是魚躺在地上——給摔成了幾千瓣了。

原來，這根本就不是一條真魚。