Question

Packing is one of those many things which I
feel I know more about than any
person living. I impressed fact
upon George and Harris told
them they had better
leave the whole matter entirely to me.​

Answer 1

By saying that he would pack, the writer did not mean that his friends would sit and relax while he would do all the work. He had meant that he would boss upon them while they would do all the chores. He would nag them and curse them for not knowing the work well and then, he would chip in to sort out the mess that they would create.He was irritated to see them sitting while he did all the work.

I lived with a man once who used to make me mad that way. He would loll on the sofa and watch me doing things by the hour together. He said it did him real good to look on at me, messing about. Now, I’m not like that. I can’t sit still and see another man slaving and working. I want to get up and superintend, and walk around with my hands in my pockets, and tell him what to do. It is my energetic nature. I can’t help it.

loll on the sofa: to recline or lean in a relaxed manner

messing about: to waste time doing something without a particular purpose

sit still: sit without doing anything

Superintend: supervise, manage

He recollects that once he lived with a man who would sit lazily on the sofa all day through and would watch the writer do all the work. The man would say that he enjoyed watching him go around, doing all the work. This would make the writer mad with anger. The writer adds that he could not sit idle and watch others work like slaves. On the other hand, he liked to check their work, walk around with his hands in his pockets and direct them on how to do the work properly. He feels that as he was energetic, it was a part of his nature to behave in that manner.

However, I did not say anything, but started the packing. It seemed a longer job than I had thought it was going to be; but I got the bag finished at last, and I sat on it and strapped it. “Ain’t you going to put the boots in?” said Harris. And I looked round, and found I had forgotten them. That’s just like Harris. He couldn’t have said a word until I’d got the bag shut and strapped, of course. And George laughed — one of those irritating, senseless laughs of his. They do make me so wild.