three men in a boat-第31章

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CHAPTER　XIII。





MARLOW。　…　BISHAM　ABBEY。　…　THE　MEDMENHAM　MONKS。　…　MONTMORENCY　THINKS　HE　

WILL　MURDER　AN　OLD　TOM　CAT。　…　BUT　EVENTUALLY　DECIDES　THAT　HE　WILL　LET　IT　

LIVE。　…　SHAMEFUL　CONDUCT　OF　A　FOX　TERRIER　AT　THE　CIVIL　SERVICE　STORES。　…　

OUR　DEPARTURE　FROM　MARLOW。　…　AN　IMPOSING　PROCESSION。　…　THE　STEAM　LAUNCH；　

USEFUL　RECEIPTS　FOR　ANNOYING　AND　HINDERING　IT。　…　WE　DECLINE　TO　DRINK　THE　

RIVER。　…　A　PEACEFUL　DOG。　…　STRANGE　DISAPPEARANCE　OF　HARRIS　AND　A　PIE。



MARLOW　is　one　of　the　pleasantest　river　centres　I　know　of。　　It　is　a　

bustling；　lively　little　town；　not　very　picturesque　on　the　whole；　it　is　

true；　but　there　are　many　quaint　nooks　and　corners　to　be　found　in　it；　

nevertheless　…　standing　arches　in　the　shattered　bridge　of　Time；　over　

which　our　fancy　travels　back　to　the　days　when　Marlow　Manor　owned　Saxon　

Algar　for　its　lord；　ere　conquering　William　seized　it　to　give　to　Queen　

Matilda；　ere　it　passed　to　the　Earls　of　Warwick　or　to　worldly…wise　Lord　

Paget；　the　councillor　of　four　successive　sovereigns。



There　is　lovely　country　round　about　it；　too；　if；　after　boating；　you　are　

fond　of　a　walk；　while　the　river　itself　is　at　its　best　here。　　Down　to　

Cookham；　past　the　Quarry　Woods　and　the　meadows；　is　a　lovely　reach。　　Dear　

old　Quarry　Woods！　with　your　narrow；　climbing　paths；　and　little　winding　

glades；　how　scented　to　this　hour　you　seem　with　memories　of　sunny　summer　

days！　　How　haunted　are　your　shadowy　vistas　with　the　ghosts　of　laughing　

faces！　how　from　your　whispering　leaves　there　softly　fall　the　voices　of　

long　ago！



From　Marlow　up　to　Sonning　is　even　fairer　yet。　　Grand　old　Bisham　Abbey；　

whose　stone　walls　have　rung　to　the　shouts　of　the　Knights　Templars；　and　

which；　at　one　time；　was　the　home　of　Anne　of　Cleves　and　at　another　of　

Queen　Elizabeth；　is　passed　on　the　right　bank　just　half　a　mile　above　

Marlow　Bridge。　　Bisham　Abbey　is　rich　in　melodramatic　properties。　　It　

contains　a　tapestry　bed…chamber；　and　a　secret　room　hid　high　up　in　the　

thick　walls。　　The　ghost　of　the　Lady　Holy；　who　beat　her　little　boy　to　

death；　still　walks　there　at　night；　trying　to　wash　its　ghostly　hands　clean　

in　a　ghostly　basin。



Warwick；　the　king…maker；　rests　there；　careless　now　about　such　trivial　

things　as　earthly　kings　and　earthly　kingdoms；　and　Salisbury；　who　did　good　

service　at　Poitiers。　　Just　before　you　come　to　the　abbey；　and　right　on　the　

river's　bank；　is　Bisham　Church；　and；　perhaps；　if　any　tombs　are　worth　

inspecting；　they　are　the　tombs　and　monuments　in　Bisham　Church。　　It　was　

while　floating　in　his　boat　under　the　Bisham　beeches　that　Shelley；　who　was　

then　living　at　Marlow　（you　can　see　his　house　now；　in　West　street）；　

composed　THE　REVOLT　OF　ISLAM。



By　Hurley　Weir；　a　little　higher　up；　I　have　often　thought　that　I　could　

stay　a　month　without　having　sufficient　time　to　drink　in　all　the　beauty　of　

the　scene。　　The　village　of　Hurley；　five　minutes'　walk　from　the　lock；　is　

as　old　a　little　spot　as　there　is　on　the　river；　dating；　as　it　does；　to　

quote　the　quaint　phraseology　of　those　dim　days；　〃from　the　times　of　King　

Sebert　and　King　Offa。〃　　Just　past　the　weir　（going　up）　is　Danes'　Field；　

where　the　invading　Danes　once　encamped；　during　their　march　to　

Gloucestershire；　and　a　little　further　still；　nestling　by　a　sweet　corner　

of　the　stream；　is　what　is　left　of　Medmenham　Abbey。



The　famous　Medmenham　monks；　or　〃Hell　Fire　Club；〃　as　they　were　commonly　

called；　and　of　whom　the　notorious　Wilkes　was　a　member；　were　a　fraternity　

whose　motto　was　〃Do　as　you　please；〃　and　that　invitation　still　stands　over　

the　ruined　doorway　of　the　abbey。　　Many　years　before　this　bogus　abbey；　

with　its　congregation　of　irreverent　jesters；　was　founded；　there　stood　

upon　this　same　spot　a　monastery　of　a　sterner　kind；　whose　monks　were　of　a　

somewhat　different　type　to　the　revellers　that　were　to　follow　them；　five　

hundred　years　afterwards。



The　Cistercian　monks；　whose　abbey　stood　there　in　the　thirteenth　century；　

wore　no　clothes　but　rough　tunics　and　cowls；　and　ate　no　flesh；　nor　fish；　

nor　eggs。　　They　lay　upon　straw；　and　they　rose　at　midnight　to　mass。　　They　

spent　the　day　in　labour；　reading；　and　prayer；　and　over　all　their　lives　

there　fell　a　silence　as　of　death；　for　no　one　spoke。



A　grim　fraternity；　passing　grim　lives　in　that　sweet　spot；　that　God　had　

made　so　bright！　　Strange　that　Nature's　voices　all　around　them　…　the　soft　

singing　of　the　waters；　the　whisperings　of　the　river　grass；　the　music　of　

the　rushing　wind　…　should　not　have　taught　them　a　truer　meaning　of　life　

than　this。　　They　listened　there；　through　the　long　days；　in　silence；　

waiting　for　a　voice　from　heaven；　and　all　day　long　and　through　the　solemn　

night　it　spoke　to　them　in　myriad　tones；　and　they　heard　it　not。



From　Medmenham　to　sweet　Hambledon　Lock　the　river　is　full　of　peaceful　

beauty；　but；　after　it　passes　Greenlands；　the　rather　uninteresting　looking　

river　residence　of　my　newsagent　…　a　quiet　unassuming　old　gentleman；　who　

may　often　be　met　with　about　these　regions；　during　the　summer　months；　

sculling　himself　along　in　easy　vigorous　style；　or　chatting　genially　to　

some　old　lock…keeper；　as　he　passes　through　…　until　well　the　other　side　of　

Henley；　it　is　somewhat　bare　and　dull。



We　got　up　tolerably　early　on　the　Monday　morning　at　Marlow；　and　went　for　a　

bathe　before　breakfast；　and；　coming　back；　Montmorency　made　an　awful　ass　

of　himself。　　The　only　subject　on　which　Montmorency　and　I　have　any　serious　

difference　of　opinion　is　cats。　　I　like　cats；　Montmorency　does　not。



When　I　meet　a　cat；　I　say；　〃Poor　Pussy！〃　and　stop　down　and　tickle　the　side　

of　its　head；　and　the　cat　sticks　up　its　tail　in　a　rigid；　cast…iron　manner；　

arches　its　back；　and　wipes　its　nose　up　against　my　trousers；　and　all　is　

gentleness　and　peace。　　When　Montmorency　meets　a　cat；　the　whole　street　

knows　about　it；　and　there　is　enough　bad　language　wasted　in　ten　seconds　to　

last　an　ordinarily　respectable　man　all　his　life；　with　care。



I　do　not　blame　the　dog　（contenting　myself；　as　a　rule；　with　merely　

clouting　his　head　or　throwing　stones　at　him）；　because　I　take　it　that　it　

is　his　nature。　　Fox…terriers　are　born　with　about　four　times　as　much　

original　sin　in　them　as　other　dogs　are；　and　it　will　take　years　and　years　

of　patient　effort　on　the　part　of　us　Christians　to　bring　about　any　

appreciable　reformation　in　the　rowdiness　of　the　fox…terrier　nature。



I　remember　being　in　the　lobby　of　the　Haymarket　Stores　one　day；　and　all　

round　about　me　were　dogs；　waiting　for　the　return　of　their　owners；　who　

were　shopping　inside。　　There　were　a　mastiff；　and　one　or　two　collies；　and　

a　St。　Bernard；　a　few　retrievers　and　Newfoundlands；　a　boar…hound；　a　French　

poodle；　with　plenty　of　hair　round　its　head；　but　mangy　about　the　middle；　a　

bull…dog；　a　few　Lowther　Arcade　sort　of　animals；　about　the　size　of　rats；　

and　a　couple　of　Yorkshire　tykes。



There　they　sat；　patient；　good；　and　thoughtful。　　A　solemn　peacefulness　

seemed　to　reign　in　that　lobby。　　An　air　of　calmness　and　resignation　…　of　

gentle　sadness　pervaded　the　room。



Then　a　sweet　young　lady　entered；　leading　a　meek…looking　little　fox…

terrier；　and　left　him；　chained　up　there；　between　the　bull…dog　and　the　

poodle。　　He　sat　and　looked　about　him　for　a　minute。　　Then　he　cast　up　his　

eyes　to　the　ceiling；　and　seemed；　judging　from　his　expression；　to　be　

thinking　of　his　mother。　　Then　he　yawned。　　Then　he　looked　round　at　the　

other　dogs；　all　silent；　grave；　and　dignified。



He　looked　at　the　bull…dog；　sleeping　dreamlessly　on　his　right。　　He　looked　

at　the　poodle；　erect　and　haughty；　on　his　left。　　Then；　without　a　word　of　

warning；　without　the　shadow　of　a　provocation；　he　bit　that　poodle's　near　

fore…leg；　and　a　yelp　of　agony　rang　through　the　quiet　shades　of　that　

lobby。



The　result　of　his　first　experiment　seemed　highly　satisfactory　to　him；　and　

he　determined　to　go　on　and　make　things　lively　all　round。　　He　sprang　over　

the　poodle　and　vigorously　attacked　a　collie；　and　the　collie　woke　up；　and　

immediately　commenced　a　fierce　a