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Yesterday Mrs. Morrison had given the flat an extra clean, and today she had brought a card and a bunch of marigolds when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake, and in the afternoon she was going down there to tea. The little boy, Johnnie, had been up with a packet of mints, and said he wouldn't go out to play until the post had come.
昨天，莫里森太太把這套公寓房間額外打掃了一遍。今天來準備早餐時還帶來一張生日卡和一束萬壽菊。樓下的格蘭特太太特地做了一只蛋糕，下午老太太要下樓到她家去吃茶點。小男孩約翰尼也上樓來過，送來了一盒薄荷糖，還說他要等郵件來了以后再出去玩。
I guess you'll get lots and lots of presents, he said. "I did last week when I was six."
“我猜你準會收到好多好多禮物，”他說。“上個禮拜我六歲生日，就收到好多好多。”
What would she like? A pair of slippers perhaps. Or a new cardigan. A cardigan would be lovely. Blue's such a pretty colour. Jim had always liked her in blue. Or a table lamp. Or a book, a travel book, with pictures, or a little clock, with clear black numbers. So many lovely things.
她想要樣什么禮物呢？也許是一雙拖鞋,或者是一件新的羊毛開衫。要真是一件羊毛開衫那就太好了,藍盈盈的，那顏色該多么漂亮。過去吉姆就總喜歡她穿藍的。再不就是一盞臺燈，或者一本書，一本帶照片的游記；一只小鐘也行，鐘面帶醒目黑色數字的小鐘。讓人喜歡的東西可真多。
She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast. Johnnie had seen him too and ran to the gate.
她站在窗口張望著。郵差騎著自行車過了拐角。她心跳加快了。約翰尼也看到了郵差，立即向大門口跑去。
Then clatter, clatter up the stairs. Johnnie knocked at her door.
接著，樓梯上傳來“得得得”的腳步聲。約翰尼敲了敲她的門。
"Granny, granny," he shouted, "I've got your post."
“奶奶，奶奶，”他叫著說，“我拿到你的信了。”
He gave her four envelopes. Three were unsealed cards from old friends. The fourth was sealed, in Myra's writing. The old lady felt a pang of disappointment.
他交給她四封信。三封沒封口，是老朋友寄來的生日卡。第四封是封口的，上面的字跡出自于邁拉之手。失望的痛楚攫住了老太太的心頭。
No parcel, Johnnie?
“沒有包裹嗎，約翰尼？”
No, granny.
“沒有，奶奶。”
Maybe the parcel was too large to come by letter post. That was it. It would come later by parcel post. She must be patient.
也許是包裹太大了，沒有隨信件郵班同來。對了，準是這個緣故。待會兒會由包裹郵班送來的。她一定要有耐心。
Almost reluctantly she tore the envelope open. Folded in the card was a piece of paper. Written on the card was a message under the printed Happy Birthday — Buy yourself something nice with the cheque, Myra and Harold.
她幾乎是帶著幾分勉強之意撕開了信封。只見生日卡里夾著一張折疊起來的紙。卡上印有“生日快樂”的字樣，下面寫著一句附言——拿這張支票給自己買樣稱心的東西吧——邁拉和哈羅德。
The cheque fluttered to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady stooped to pick it up. Her present, her lovely present. With trembling fingers she tore it into little bits.
支票像只斷了翅膀的小鳥似的飄落到地板上。老太太慢慢地彎下腰，把支票從地上撿了起來。她的禮物，她的可愛的禮物！她用顫抖的手指把支票撕了個粉碎。
