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About twenty years ago there lived a singular gentleman in the Old Hall among the elm trees.
大約20年前，一處榆樹簇擁的古老莊園里，住著一位超凡脫俗的鄉間紳士。
He was about three-score years of age, very rich, and somewhat odd in many of his habits, but for generosity and benevolence he had no equal.
他約莫60來歲，非常富有，行為舉止有點乖張，但他為人慷慨，處事寬宏大方，而且宅心仁厚，無人堪比。
No poor cottager stood in need of comforts, which he was not ready to supply;
無論遇見貧苦潦倒的佃農雇工，或者憔悴羸弱的鄉鄰婦孺
no sick man or woman languished for want of his assistance; and not even a beggar, unless a known impostor, went empty-handed from the Hall.
甚至衣衫襤褸的乞丐，他總是不吝錢財，鼎力相助。只有那些惡名昭彰的詐騙之徒，才會兩手空空地離開。
Like the village pastor described in Goldsmith's poem of "The Deserted Village,"
正如戈德史密斯詩歌《被拋棄的村莊》中曾經描述的那樣，
His house was known to all the vagrant train;
他的門口，流浪漢排成了長隊，
He chid their wand'rings, but relieved their pain;
他呵斥那些人的原罪，卻傾心減除他們痛苦，
The long-remembered beggar was his guest, Whose beard descending swept his aged breast.
甚至有位記憶蒼老的乞丐，簡直成為他的座上客，那老人髯須灰白，垂到皺紋如縠的胸間。
Now it happened that the old gentleman wanted a boy to wait upon him at table, and to attend him in different ways, for he was very fond of young people.
當時，那位年邁紳士正需要一名伺童照料他的生活起居，他很喜愛年輕人。
But much as he liked the society of the young, he had a great aversion to that curiosity in which many young people are apt to indulge.
然而，他愈喜歡年輕人的社會，就愈憎惡不少年輕人深陷五花八門的走火入魔。
He used to say, The boy who will peep into a drawer will be tempted to take something out of it;
他總是說，喜歡窺探他人抽屜的孩子，不由自主總想拿走點東西。
and he who will steal a penny in his youth will steal a pound in his manhood.
俗語說得好：“少時偷針，大時偷金。”
No sooner was it known that the old gentleman was in want of a boy than twenty applications were made for the situation;
那位鄉紳要找伺童的消息一經傳開，二十來位想要為自己孩子謀就職位的鄉鄰紛紛擠上門來。
but he determined not to engage anyone until he had in some way ascertained that he did not possess a curious, prying disposition.
老人執意不愿雇用，他心里明白，唯有通過某種程序以驗證雇傭孩子是否具有良好的品格，那些孩子應該既不好奇心太盛，亦不愛多管閑事，他才能徹底放心。
