Трое в лодке не считая собаки

           "Oh,no;notnow,sir. Itdidusedtoknockmeoverabitatfirst,but,lorloveyou! meandthemissuswelistensto’emalldaynow. It’swhatyou’reusedto,youknow. It’swhatyou’reusedto." 

           Iknewayoungmanonce,hewasamostconscientiousfellow,and,whenhetooktofly-fishing,hedeterminednevertoexaggeratehishaulsbymorethantwenty-fivepercent. 

           "WhenIhavecaughtfortyfish,"saidhe,"thenIwilltellpeoplethatIhavecaughtfifty,andsoon. ButIwillnotlieanymorethanthat,becauseitissinfultolie." 

           Butthetwenty-fivepercent.plandidnotworkwellatall. Heneverwasabletouseit. Thegreatestnumberoffishheevercaughtinonedaywasthree,andyoucan’taddtwenty-fivepercent.tothree—atleast,notinfish. 

           Soheincreasedhispercentagetothirty-three-and-a-third;butthat,again,wasawkward,whenhehadonlycaughtoneortwo; so,tosimplifymatters,hemadeuphismindtojustdoublethequantity. 

           Hestucktothisarrangementforacoupleofmonths,andthenhegrewdissatisfiedwithit. Nobodybelievedhimwhenhetoldthemthatheonlydoubled,andhe,therefore,gainednocreditthatwaywhatever,whilehismoderationputhimatadisadvantageamongtheotheranglers. Whenhehadreallycaughtthreesmallfish,andsaidhehadcaughtsix,itusedtomakehimquitejealoustohearaman,whomheknewforafacthadonlycaughtone,goingabouttellingpeoplehehadlandedtwodozen.