A humorous extract from 'Three Men in a Boat' describing the chaos of three friends packing for a holiday.
"Packing" is a humorous story by Jerome K. Jerome. It features three friends—Jerome (the narrator), George, and Harris, along with their dog Montmorency. As they prepare for a boat trip, their attempt to pack their bags turns into a comedy of errors, exposing their clumsiness and forgetfulness.
• Jerome: Prides himself on his packing skills but
is extremely forgetful (especially about his toothbrush). He wants
to supervise but ends up doing all the work.
• Harris & George: They are lazy and terrible at
packing. They break things, step on food, and create a mess.
• Montmorency: A fox terrier whose ambition in
life is to get in the way and be sworn at. He thinks lemons are
rats!
Jerome offered to pack, intending to "boss the job" while Harris and George pottered about under his directions. Instead, they took him literally, lit their pipes/cigars, and sat down to watch him work! Jerome hates people sitting around when he is working.
Harris and George started with breaking a cup. The highlight was the butter. George stepped on it. They scraped it off his slipper and tried to put it in the kettle. It wouldn't go in, and what was in wouldn't come out. Finally, they put it on a chair, and Harris sat on it! It stuck to him, and they spent ages looking for it.
Montmorency came and sat down on things just when they were wanted to be packed. He put his leg into the jam. He pretended that the lemons were rats and got into the hamper and "killed" three of them before Harris hit him with a frying pan.
| Jerome (Narrator) | Harris & George |
|---|---|
| Considered himself the best packer. | Considered the worst packers in the world. |
| Packed clothes and personal items. | Packed food hampers (plates, jars, pies). |
| Forgetful and disorganized, but careful. | Destructive and messy (smashed pies, trod on butter). |
Answer: Jerome volunteered because he prided himself on his packing skills. However, his real intention was to supervise the work while George and Harris did the actual labour. He was annoyed when they sat down and let him do everything.
Answer: Jerome often forgot if he had packed his toothbrush. It haunted him. He had to unpack everything to find it. He found George's and Harris's brushes eighteen times over, but couldn't find his own. Finally, he found it inside a boot and had to repack once more.
Answer: The author says Montmorency's ambition is to get in the way and be sworn at. If he can squirm in anywhere where he isn't wanted and make people mad, he feels his day has not been wasted. He was a "born nuisance."