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He went down to the kitchen. His mother was in the morning room polishing silver. He took the kettle and the flex upstairs. Except for the dipping and scratching of his Aunt's pen the room was silent. It was at the back of the house overlooking the orchard and the sound of traffic from the main road was distant and muted. A tiny rattle began as the kettle warmed up, then it bubbled and steam gushed quietly from its spout. The cards began to curl slightly in the jet of steam but she didn't seem to be watching. The stamps peeled off and he put them in a saucer of water to flatten them.
他下樓去了廚房。他的媽媽正在晨間起居室里擦拭銀器。他拿著水壺和皮線上了樓。房間內很安靜，只有叔祖母鋼筆的蘸墨聲和刷刷聲。叔祖母的房間位于整個房子的深處，從這里可以眺望果園，聽見遠處車輛往來細微的聲音。隨著水溫的升高，水壺發出微弱的咔嗒聲，然后開始沸騰，蒸汽從壺嘴靜靜地冒出。明信片隨著蒸汽的噴出開始微微卷起，然而她似乎并沒 有在注意這一切。郵票脫落下來，他把它們放在一個盛著水的小碟子中，把它們展平。
"Who is Brother Benignus?" he asked. She seemed not to hear. He asked again and she looked over her glasses.
“貝尼格納斯兄弟是誰？”他問道。她似乎沒聽到他的話。他又問了一次，她透過眼鏡看著他。
"He was a friend."
“他是一個朋友。”
His flourishing signature appeared again and again. Sometimes Bro Benignus, sometimes Benignus and once Iggy.
他那花體的簽名一次又一次地出現。有時候簽的是貝尼格納斯兄弟，有時候是貝尼格納斯，還有一次是伊吉。
"Is he alive?"
“他還活著嗎？”
"No, he's dead now. Watch the kettle doesn't run dry."
“沒有，他現在去世了?？粗c水壺，別燒干了。”
