百万英镑
Part Four: At the Tailor's
Every time I passed in front of a tailor's, I wanted to enter and buy some new clothes. But, I had no money to pay for them. The ￡1,000,000 banknote in my pocket was useless !
I passed in front of the same tailor's six times. At last I entered. I quietly asked if they had an old, unattractive suit that no one wanted to buy. The man I spoke to nodded his head, but he didn't speak. Then another man looked at me and nodded his head.
I went to him and he said, "One moment, please."
After some time, he took me to a back room. He looked at several ugly suits that no one wanted. He chose the worst for me. I really wanted a suit,so I said nothing.
It was time to pay. "Can you wait a few days for the money? I haven't got any small change with me."
The man said, "Oh, you haven't? Well, I thought gentlemen like you carried large change."
"My friend," I replied, "you can't judge a stranger by the clothes he wears.
I can pay for this suit. But, can you change a large banknote?"
"Oh, of course we can change a large banknote," he said coldly.
I gave him the banknote. He received it with a smile, a big smile that covered his face. When he read the banknote, his smile disappeared. The owner of the shop came over and asked me, "What's the trouble ?"
"There isn't any trouble. I'm waiting for my change."
"Come, come. Give him his change, Tod. Quickly! "
Tod answered, "It's easy to say, but look at the banknote."
The owner looked at the banknote. Then he looked at my package with the ugly suit.
"Tod," he shouted, "you are stupid! How can you sell this unattractive suit to a millionaire! Tod, you can't see the difference between a millionaire and a poor man."
"I apologize, sir," the owner continued. "Please take off those things you are wearing and throw them in the fire. Put on this fine shirt and this handsome suit. It's perfect for you — simple but elegant."
I told him I was very happy with the new suit.
"Oh, wait until you see what we can make for you in your size!
Tod, bring a pen and a book. Let me measure your leg, your arm ..."
I didn't have a moment to speak.
The owner measured me. Then he ordered his tailors to make me morning suits, evening suits, shirts, coats and other things.
"But, my dear sir," I said, "I can order all these things only if you change my banknote. Or, if you can wait a while before I pay you."
"Wait a while! I'll wait forever, that's the word. Tod, send these things to the gentleman's address. Let the less important customers wait! What's your address, sir?"
''I'm changing my home. I'll come back and give you my new address," I replied.
"Quite right, sir, quite right. Let me show you to the door, sir. Good day, sir, good day."
Part Five: The Poor Millionaire
The impossible happened. I bought everything I wanted without money. I showed my banknote and asked for change, but every time the same thing happened. No one was able to change it.
I bought all that I needed and all the luxuries that I wanted. I stayed at an expensive hotel in Hanover Square. I always had dinner at the hotel. But I preferred having breakfast at Harris's simple eating place. Harris's was the first place where I had a good meal with my million-pound note. That's where it all started.
The news about me and my banknote was all over London. Harris's eating place became famous because I had breakfast there. Harris was happy with all his new customers.
I lived like a rich, important man. I had money to spend. I lived in a dream.
But often, I said to myself, "Remember, this dream will end when the two men return to London. Everything will change."
My story was in the newspapers. Everyone talked about the "strange millionaire with the million-pound note in his pocket." Punch magazine drew a funny picture of me on the front page. People talked about everything I did and about everything I said. They followed me in the streets.
I kept my old clothes, and sometimes I wore them. It was fun when the shop owners thought I was poor. Then I showed them the banknote, and, oh,how their faces changed!
After ten days in London, I went to visit the American Ambassador. He was very happy to meet me. He invited me to a dinner-party that evening.
He told me that he knew my father from Yale University. He invited me to visit his home whenever I wanted.
I was glad to have a new, important friend. I thought to myself, "I'll need an important friend, when the story of the million-pound note and bet comes out."
I want the reader to know that I planned to pay back all the shop owners who sold me things on credit. "If I win the bet for the old gentleman," I thought, "I will have an important job. With an important job, I will have a big salary." I planned to pay back everyone with my first year's salary.
恐怖故事
The Oval Portrait
Chapter One
My valet Pedro and I were traveling through the Apennine Mountains in Italy. I was badly hurt and had a high fever . We finally saw a very strange and gloomy castle that had been recently abandoned. It was the kind of castle that you can read about in certain old novels about ghosts. Pedro knew that I couldn't remain outside in my condition, so he decided to break into the castle.
When he had broken in, he took me to a small room in a turret or the castle. This room had many very old paintings, tapestries and arms . There were also many spirited modern paintings. I looked closely at them all.
They fascinated me greatly, perhaps because I was delirious from the fever. I also found a book that told the story of each of the paintings in the room.
Pedro lit the candles of a large candelabrum and I began to contemplate each piece of art in this bizarre room. I lay in my bed reading and looking at the paintings for a long, long time. Then, since Pedro was asleep, I moved the candelabrum so I could read more easily.
The light of the candles made it easier to read, but it also illuminated a strange little painting in a dark niche. It was the portrait of a lovely adolescent girl. I do not know why, but I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about it.
Then I opened my eyes to look at it again. Then I wondered why I was so charmed by this painting. Its frame was oval and gold. The painting itself was done very well. It showed the head and shoulders of the girl. The girl herself was extremely beautiful.
The painting had even startled me because for a moment it looked like a living person. Still none of these things could explain the secret of its mysterious effect on me. Then I discovered the reason: the expression on her face was almost perfectly lifelike . And this lifelikeness had confused me,
startled me and filled me with horror.
I immediately looked in the book for the story of this oval portrait, and read the following story.
The Story of the Girl in the Portrait
Chapter Two
The girl in the portrait was extremely beautiful and extremely joyous. But it was an evil hour when she married the painter.
He was passionate, austere and studious ; and he already had a "wife":his Art.
The girl in the portrait was as happy as a fawn, and she loved and cherished all things; she only hated the Art which was her rival. She was only afraid of the palette, easel and brushes that took her husband away.
It was therefore a terrible thing for her when her husband asked her to pose for a painting. But she was very humble and obedient , and she agreed to pose.
She posed for this portrait in a cold, unhealthy room of a turret of the castle. The only light in the room came from a small window in the ceiling.
The artist worked with energy and only thought of his work. He became obsessed with capturing every shade and color of life on his young wife's face.
Since the room where she was sitting was cold and damp, she got more and more ill. Still, her husband did not notice. All he noticed was his painting. He was a wild and moody man, and he was often lost in his own private dream world. Everybody else saw that his wife was getting weaker and weaker. Still, she continued smiling and never complained because she saw that he took such great interest in this painting: he worked day and night to paint the woman who loved him and who was becoming more and more ill for this love.
Some of the people who saw him working said, "This painting is truly marvelous . It is proof of both his power as a painter and of his love for his wife."
When the painter was finishing the portrait, nobody was allowed in the turret because the painter had become so passionate about his work: he rarely took his eyes from the canvas to look at his wife's face.
In fact, he had become so obsessed with his work that he did not notice that as he put red and pink on the canvas, red and pink left his young wife's cheeks.
Finally he only needed to add a little bit of color for the mouth and a little bit of color for the eyes. The living color of his wife's face shone again for a moment and then went out like a lamp.
The painter added the last brushstroke and for one moment was entranced in front of his painting. He then became pale and began to tremble.
He then cried loudly, "This is indeed Life itself!" Then he looked suddenly at his wife: — She was dead!