評論
打印
'Have you never heard of the League of the Red-headed Men?' he asked with his eyes open.
斯波爾丁兩只眼睛瞪得大大地反問我說，'你從來沒有聽過紅發會的事嗎？'
'Never.' 'Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for one of the vacancies.'
'從來沒有聽說過。''你這么說倒使我感到莫名其妙了，因為你自己就有資格去申請那個空著的職位。'
'And what are they worth?' I asked.
'給多少錢呢？'我問道。
'Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is slight,
'一年只給二百英鎊，但這個工作很輕松，
and it need not interfere very much with one's other occupations.'
如果你已有別的職務也并不礙事。'
Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears,
好，你們不難想見，這真使我側耳恭聽啊，
for the business has not been over-good for some years, and an extra couple of hundred would have been very handy.
因為好些年來，我的生意并不怎么好，這筆額外的二百英鎊如能到手，那簡直是來得太容易了。
'Tell me all about it,' said I.
于是我對他說，'你把事情告訴我吧。'
'Well,' said he, showing me the advertisement, 'you can see for yourself that the League has a vacancy,
"他邊把廣告指給我看邊說，'好，你自己看吧，紅發會有個空缺，
and there is the address where you should apply for particulars.
這廣告上有地址，到那里可以辦理申請手續。
As far as I can make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways.
據我了解，紅發會的發起人是一個名叫伊齊基亞·霍普金斯的美國百萬富翁。這個人作風很古怪。
He was himself red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men;
他自己的頭發就是紅的，并且對所有紅頭發的人懷有深厚的感情。
so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees,
他死后大家才知道，原來他把他的巨大的財產留交給財產受托管理人處理，
with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of that colour.
他留下遺囑要用他的遺產的利息讓紅頭發的男子有個舒適的差事。
From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to do.'
從我所聽到的來說，待遇很高，要干的活倒很少。'
