Some people seem easy to understand: their character appears obvious on first meeting. Appearances, however, can be deceptive.
有些人似乎容易了解：他們的個性在初次交往時就表露無遺。然而，外表可能具有欺騙性。
A Friend in Need

Somerset Maugham

1 For thirty years now I have been studying my fellowmen. I do not know very much about them. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. I think they must have small insight or great vanity. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me.
患難之交

薩默塞特·毛姆

三十年來，我一直研究我的人類同胞，但至今了解不多。每當有人跟我說他對一個人的第一次印象向來不錯的時候，我就聳聳肩。我想這種人不是無知，就是自大。拿我自己來說，我發現，認識一個人的時間越長，我就越感到困惑。
　
2 These reflections have occurred to me because I read in this morning's paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in business in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. Unless I had heard the story from his own lips, I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was more startling because both in appearance and manner he suggested a very definite type. Here if ever was a man all of a piece. He was a tiny little fellow, not much more than five feet four in height, and very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.
我產生這些想法，是因為我在今天早上的報紙上看到愛德華·海德·伯頓在神戶去世的消息。他是個商人，在日本經商多年。我跟他并不熟，但是對他挺有興趣，因為有一次他讓我大吃一驚。要不是聽他親口講述這個故事，我根本不會相信他能做出這種事來。這件事之所以特別令人驚訝，是因為無論是外表還是風度，他都讓人想到一種非常明確的類型。要說真有表里如一的人的話，那就是此公了。他個子很小，身高不過5英尺4英寸，身材纖細，白頭發、藍眼睛，紅紅的臉上布滿皺紋。我估計自己認識他時，他大約有60歲光景。他向來衣著整潔素雅，合乎他的年齡和身份。

3 Though his offices were in Kobe, Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humor. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly, and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and affectionate family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could possibly raise it in anger; his smile was benign. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. At the same time he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell with point a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he could not bear to hurt a fly.
伯頓的辦事處設在神戶，但他常常到橫濱來。有一次，我正好因為等船，要在那里呆幾天，在英國俱樂部經人介紹與他相識。我們在一起玩橋牌。他打得不錯，牌風也好。無論在玩牌的時候，還是在后來一起喝酒的時候，他的話都不多，但說的話卻都合情合理。他挺幽默，但并不咋呼。他在俱樂部里似乎人緣不錯，后來，在他走了以后，人家都說他是個頂呱呱的人。事有湊巧，我們倆都住在格蘭德大酒店。第二天他請我吃飯。我見到了他的太太――一位肥肥胖胖、滿面笑容的半老婦人――和他的兩個女兒。這顯然是和睦恩愛的一家人。我想，伯頓當時給我印象最深的主要還是他這個人和善。他那雙溫和的藍眼睛有種令人愉快的神情。他說話的聲音輕柔；你無法想象他會提高嗓門大發雷霆；他的笑容和藹可親。這個人吸引你，是因為你從他身上感到他對別人的真正的愛。同時他也喜歡玩牌，喝雞尾酒，他能繪聲繪色地講個來勁兒的段子什么的，他年輕時多少還是個運動員呢。他是個闊佬，但他的每一個便士都是自己掙來的。我想，人們喜歡他還有一個原因，那就是他非常瘦小、脆弱，容易引起人們的惻隱之心。你覺得他甚至連只螞蟻都不忍傷害。

4 One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel when Burton came in and seated himself in the chair next to mine.
5 "What do you say to a little drink?"
6 He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two gin fizzes. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.
7 "Do you know Turner?" said Burton as I nodded a greeting.
8 "I've met him at the club. I'm told he's a remittance man."
9 "Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here."
10 "He plays bridge well."
一天下午，我正坐在格蘭德大酒店的大堂里，伯頓走了進來，在我旁邊的椅子里坐下。
“喝一點，怎么樣？”
他拍了拍手招呼侍者過來，要了兩杯杜松子汽酒。侍者端來酒的時候，有個人從外面街上走過，見到我招了下手。
“你認識特納嗎？”在我點頭致意的時候，伯頓問道。
“我是在俱樂部里認識他的。聽說他是個靠國內寄錢過日子的人。”
“是呀，我想是的。在這兒這種人可不少。”
“他橋牌打得不錯。”

11 "They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, oddly enough a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself. I believe he'd belonged to some very good clubs." “這種人一般都玩得不錯。去年這里有一個人，湊巧還和我同姓，我從來沒有遇到過一個橋牌打得那么好的高手。我想你在倫敦沒有碰見過他。他說他叫倫尼·伯頓。我相信，他加入過一些相當高級的俱樂部呢。”