評論
打印
"This is quite good."
“這種很好。”
"This is not bad either, but a little too heavy."
“這種也不錯，可是稍微膩了一點。”
All the time it was quite evident that he sincerely believed that he might eventually buy one of these puddings, and I am positive that he did not for a moment feel that he was in any way cheating the store. Poor old chap! Probably he had come down in the world and this sampling was all that was left him from the time when he could afford to come and select his favorite pudding.
有一點自始至終很明顯：他真誠地相信自己最終也許會買一只布丁；而我也確信，他一點也不覺得自己是在欺騙商店?？蓱z的老頭兒！很可能他已經(jīng)家道敗落。從前他是有錢來選購他最喜愛的布丁的，而今卻只能這樣來品嘗一下布丁的味道了。
Amidst the crowd of happy, prosperous looking Christmas shoppers, the little black figure of the old man seemed pitiful and out of place, and in a burst of benevolence, I went up to him and said:
為圣誕節(jié)忙著采購商品的顧客個個喜形于色，看上去都很富裕。老人矮小的黑色身影在這群人中間顯得很可憐，很不相稱。我突然動了惻隱之心，走到他跟前說：
"Pardon me, sir, will you do me a favor? Let me purchase you one of these puddings. It would give me such pleasure."
“請原諒，先生，能賞我個臉嗎？讓我為您買一只布丁吧。如果您肯收下，我將不勝欣慰?！?/div>
He jumped back as if he had been stung, and the blood rushed into his wrinkled face.
他往后一跳，仿佛被什么東西蜇了一下似地，他那張布滿皺紋的臉頓時漲得通紅。
"Excuse me," he said, with more dignity than I would have thought possible considering his appearance, "I do not believe I have the pleasure of knowing you. Undoubtedly you have mistaken me for someone else." And with a quick decision he turned to the shop girl and said in a loud voice, "Kindly pack me up this one here. I will take it with me." He pointed at one of the largest and most expensive of the puddings.
“對不起，”他說，其神態(tài)之高傲，遠非我根據(jù)其外表所能想像得出，“我想我跟您并不相識。無疑您是認錯人了。”于是他當機立斷，轉(zhuǎn)向女店員，大聲說道：“勞駕把這只替我包扎一下。我要帶走的?！彼噶酥缸畲蟮摹⒁彩亲钯F的一只布丁。
The girl took down the pudding from its stand and started to make a parcel of it, while he pulled out a worn little black pocketbook and began counting out shillings and pennies on to the counter. To save his "honour" he had been forced into a purchase which he could not possibly afford. How I longed for the power to unsay my tactless words! It was too late though, and I felt that the kindest thing I could do now would be walk away.
女店員從架子上取下那只布丁，動手包扎。這時，他掏出一只破舊的黑色小皮夾子，開始一個先令一個便士地數(shù)著硬幣，把它們放在柜臺上。為了保住“面子”，他被迫買下了他實在買不起的東西。我多么希望能收回我那些不得體的話??！然而為時已晚，我感到此時惟有走開才是最積德的事。
You pay at the desk, the shop girl was telling him, but he did not seem to understand and kept trying to put the coins into her hand. And that was the last I saw or heard of the old man. Now he can never go there to sample puddings any more.
“請您到那邊賬臺上去付款，”女店員告訴他，但他卻好像沒有聽懂，只管把硬幣往她手里塞。打這以后我再也沒有看到這位老人，也沒有聽到過有關(guān)他的情況?，F(xiàn)在他再也不會到那家商店去品嘗布丁了。
