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打印12 "No, I don't believe I remember the name."
13 "He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
14 Burton sipped his gin fizz.
“嗯，我實在不記得這個名字。”
“他稱得上是橋牌高手。好像對牌有一種本能似的，簡直神了。我那會兒常和他一起玩牌。他在神戶住了一段時間。”
伯頓抿了一口杜松子汽酒。
15 "It's rather a funny story,' he said. 'He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come on for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
“說來也是件有趣的事，”他說。“他人不壞。我挺喜歡他。他總是衣冠楚楚，樣子挺帥。長得也算英俊，蜷曲的頭發，兩頰白里透紅。女人都對他著迷。你知道，他沒有什么害人之處，就是野了點。自然，他酒喝得太兇了。這種人總是這樣。他每個季度收到一小筆錢，靠打牌再賺一點。他贏了我不少錢，這我可知道。”
16 Burton gave a kindly chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace. He stroked his shaven chin with his thin hand; the veins stood out on it and it was almost transparent.
伯頓和善地咯咯一笑。我的處世經驗告訴我，他打橋牌輸起錢來時一定是大大方方的。他用瘦小的手摸了摸剃得光光的下巴；手上青筋鼓起，手白得幾乎透明。
17 "I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
“大概就是因為這個，當他落得一文不名的時候，就來找我了，再說他和我同姓。有一天，他到我辦事處來見我，要我給他個差使。當時我頗為驚訝。他告訴我說家里不再給他寄錢了，他要干活兒了。我問他多大年紀。
18 "'Thirty-five,' he said.
19 "'And what have you been doing hitherto?' I asked him.
20 "'Well, nothing very much,' he said.
21 I couldn't help laughing.
22 "'I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do.'
“‘35，’他說。
“‘你一直都干什么來著？’我問道。
“‘嗯，沒怎么干過事。’他說。
“我禁不住笑了。
“‘眼下恐怕不能幫你忙了，’我說。‘你再過35年來找我，到時候我再看看能幫些什么忙。’
23 "He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.
“他沒有動彈，臉色變得相當蒼白。他猶豫了一會兒，然后對我說，這一陣子他牌運一直不好。原來他不甘心老打橋牌，便賭起撲克來，結果輸了個精光。他一個子兒也沒有，所有的東西都拿去當了。他連酒店的賬都付不出，人家也不肯再賒賬給他。他已經山窮水盡。要是找不到點事干，他只好自殺。
24 "I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.
“我瞧了他一會兒。我能看出他已經完全垮了。這一陣子他酒喝得比以前更兇，看上去足有50歲。姑娘們當時要是瞧見他，準不會對他那么著迷了。
25 "'Well isn't there anything you can do except play cards?' I asked him.
26 "'I can swim,' he said.
27 "'Swim!'
28 "I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.
29 "'I swam for my university.'
“‘嗯，你除了打牌以外，難道什么也不會干嗎？’我問他。
“‘我會游泳，’他說。
“‘游泳！’
“我幾乎以為自己聽錯了呢；這種回答聽起來簡直是牛頭不對馬嘴。
“‘我讀大學時曾經代表學校參加游泳比賽。’
