04-01-03-三怪客泛舟记 [24]
．， 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
'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