Here we go with Part Four of our brand new Tale for Our Time - my springtime serialisation of Jerome K Jerome's even more idiosyncratic sequel to Three Men in a Boat - from 1900, Three Men on the Bummel.
We always get lots of perceptive comments on our Tales, but I found this one especially shrewd. April, a First Hour Founding Member of The Mark Steyn Club, writes from Illinois:
I enjoyed the C.S. Lewis excerpt last week, but I find fiction better suited for audio while non-fiction (anything more complex than "turn left here") works better for me on the printed page. I'm happy to be off on another humorous adventure with the club!
I'm inclined to agree with you, April. Speaking from the hired hand's viewpoint, I find it far more engaging to animate a dozen characters in a complex plot than read a geopolitical or philosophical tract. But we had a lot of requests to give it a go, and, now that we've done so, I think it's likely to remain a one-off.
In tonight's episode of Jerome K Jerome's tale, our intrepid trio continue their preparations for the Black Forest - and reflect on the perils of staying in a house with children:
I knew that if he slept at "Beggarbush" he would be up in time; I have slept there myself, and I know what happens. About the middle of the night, as you judge, though in reality it may be somewhat later, you are startled out of your first sleep by what sounds like a rush of cavalry along the passage, just outside your door. Your half-awakened intelligence fluctuates between burglars, the Day of Judgment, and a gas explosion. You sit up in bed and listen intently. You are not kept waiting long; the next moment a door is violently slammed, and somebody, or something, is evidently coming downstairs on a tea-tray.
"I told you so," says a voice outside, and immediately some hard substance, a head one would say from the ring of it, rebounds against the panel of your door...
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Part Four of our tale simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes can be found here.
Tales for Our Time is about to enter its ninth year. So, if you've a friend who might be partial to our classic fiction outings, we have a special Gift Membership that, aside from audio yarns, also includes video poetry, live music and more.
Please join me tomorrow evening for Part Five of Three Men on the Bummel.
