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George said:You know we are on the wrong track altogether. We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we cant do without. George comes out really quite sensible at times. Youd be surprised. I call that downright wisdom, not merely as regards the present case, but with reference to our trip up the river of life generally. How many people, on that voyage, load up the boat till it is ever in danger of swamping with a store of foolish things which they think essential to the pleasure and comfort of the trip, but which are really only useless lumber. How they pile the poor little craft mast-high with fine clothes and big houses; with useless servants, and a host of swell friends that do not care twopence for them, and that they do not care three hapence for; with expensive entertainments that nobody enjoys, with formalities and fashions, with pretence and ostentation, and withoh, heaviest, maddest lumber of all!the dread of what will my neighbour think, with luxuries that only cloy, with pleasures that bore, with empty show that, like the criminals iron crown of yore, makes to bleed and swoon the aching head that wears it! It is lumber, manall lumber! Throw it overboard. It makes the boat so heavy to pull, you nearly faint at the oars. It makes it so cumbersome and dangerous to manage, you never know a moments freedom from anxiety and care, never gain a moments rest for dreamy lazinessno time to watch the windy shadows skimming lightly oer the shallows, or the glittering sunbeams flitting in and out among the ripples, or the great trees by the margin looking down at their own image, or the woods all green and golden, or the lilies white and yellow, or the sombrewaving rushes, or the sedges, or the orchis, or the blue forget- me-nots. Throw the lumber over, man! Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you needa homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing. You will find the boat easier to pull then, and it will not be so liable to upset, and it will not matter so much if it does upset; good, plain merchandise will stand water. You will have time to think as well as to work. Time to drink in lifes sunshine time to listen to the Aeolian music that the wind of God draws from the human heart-strings around ustime to I beg your pardon, really. I quite forgot. Well, we left the list to George, and he began it. We wont take a tent, suggested George; we will have a boat with a cover. It is ever so much simpler, and more comfortable. It seemed a good thought, and we adopted it. I do not know whether you have ever seen the thing I mean. You fix iron hoops up over the boat, and stretch a huge canvas over them, and fasten it down all round, from stem to stern, and it converts the boat into a sort of little house, and it is beautifully cosy, though a trifle stuffy; but there, everything has its drawbacks, as the man said when his mother-in-law died, and they came down upon him for the funeral expenses. George said that in that case we must take a rug each, a lamp, some soap, a brush and comb (between us), a toothbrush (each), a basin, some tooth-powder, some shaving tackle (sounds like a French exercise, doesnt it?) and a couple of big towels for bathing. I notice that people always make gigantic arrangements for bathing when they are going anywhere near the water, but that they dont bathe much when they are there. It is the same when you go to the seaside. I always determinewhen thinking over the matter in Londonthat Ill get up early every morning, and go and have a dip before breakfast, and I religiously pack up a |
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