My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat simultaneously. It was hanging on a rack at a secondhand clothing store in Northampton Mass, crammed in with shoddy trench coats and an assortment of sad, woolen overcoats -- a rose among thorns.
在馬薩諸塞州北安普頓市的一家出售二手服裝的店里，我和我14歲的兒子約翰同時盯上了那件大衣。它就掛在衣架上，夾在劣質的軍用風雨衣和各式各樣寒酸的羊毛大衣當中，然而它卻像荊棘叢中的一朵玫瑰。

While the other coats drooped, this one looked as if it were holding itself up. The thick, black wool of the double-breasted chesterfield was soft and unworn, as though it had been preserved in mothballs for years in dead old Uncle Henry's steamer trunk. The coat had a black velvet collar, beautiful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label and an unbelievable price of $28. We looked at each other, saying nothing, but John's eyes gleamed. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with teenage boys, but could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better, bearing that touch of classic elegance from a bygone era.
其他的大衣都顯得沒精打采，惟獨這件衣服趾高氣揚。厚厚的黑色羊絨柔軟而蓬松，這件雙排扣暗鈕長大衣顯然還沒上過身，看樣子，就像用樟腦球在老亨利叔叔的扁平旅行箱里保存了多年。其做工精細：領子是黑天鵝絨的，商標是第五大街的，價錢讓人難以置信，只賣28美元。我們彼此看著對方，一言不發，可約翰的眼里卻閃著欣喜的光。黑色的羊絨輕便大衣那時在小伙子們中很流行，買一件新的要花好幾百美元，而這一件質地更好一些，還帶有一種逝去年代的古典美。

John slid his arms down into the heavy satin lining of the sleeves and buttoned the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror with a serious, studied expression that soon changed into a smile. The fit was perfect.
約翰將胳膊伸進了袖管里——襯里是厚厚的緞子，系上了扣子。他在鏡子面前轉過來調過去地打量著自己，臉上的嚴肅表情不一會兒就變成了微笑。衣服合身極了。