Mrs. Wickett, before she saved money, had been in charge of[54]the linen room[55]at the school.
'Yes, I knew' im, sir. Cheeky' e was to me, gener' ly.[56]But we never' ad no bad words between us[57]. Just cheekylike.[58] ' E never meant no harm.[59]That kind[60]never does[61], sir. Wasn't it' im[62]that got the medal, sir?''Yes, a D.S.O[63].'
'Will you be wanting anything else, sir?'
'Nothing more now[64]-- umph -- till chapel time[65]. He was killed -- in Egypt, I think.[66]... Yes -- umph -- you can bring[67]my supper about then[68].'
'Very good, sir.'
A pleasant, placid[69]life, at Mrs. Wickett's. He had no worries; his pension was adequate[70], and there was a little money saved up besides[71]. He could afford everything and anything[72]he wanted. His room was furnished simply and with schoolmasterly taste[73]; a few bookshelves and sporting trophies[74]; a mantelpiece[75]crowded with fixturecards[76]and signed photographs of boys and men; a worn Turkey carpet[77]; big easy chairs; pictures on the wall of the Acropolis and the Forum[78]. Nearly everything had come out of his old hours-master's[79]room in School House[80]. The books were chiefly classical[81], for that had been his subject[82]; there was, however, a seasoning[83]of history and belles-lettres[84]. There was also a bottom shelf piled up with[85]cheap editions[86]of detective novels. Chips enjoyed these. Sometimes he took down Virgil[87]or Xenophon[88]and read for a few moments, but he was soon back again with[89]Doctor Thorndyke[90]or Inspector French[91]. He was not, despite his long years of assiduous teaching[92], a very profound classical scholar; indeed, he thought of Latin and Greek far more as dead languages from which English gentlemen ought to know a few quotations than as living tongues that had ever been spoken by living people[93]. He liked those short leading articles[94]in the Times[95]that introduced a few tags[96]that he recognized; to be among the dwindling number of people[97]who understood such things[98]was[99]to him a kind of secret and valued freemasonry[100]; it represented, he felt[101], one of the chief benefits to be derrved from[102]a classical education.
[54] in charge of掌管。注意：in charge of也可作“在……掌管中”解。作后一解时，也作“in the charge of”。因此B in charge of A和A in（the）charge of B都可以表示“B管A”的意思，须看上下文。
[55] linen room洗衣室。linen ['lɪnɪn]用作集合名词，是亚麻布或似亚麻布制的衣衫的统称；这里泛指任何衣衫之类。
[56] Cheeky'e was to me, gener'ly.=Generally, he was cheeky to me.总的说来，他就是对我没规矩。上面him说成'im，这里he说成'e, generally说成gener'ly，都表示说话人教育不良。
[57] never'ad no bad words between us我们之间从没有吵过嘴。把had说成'ad，以及说了never再加上个多余的no的这种所谓“双重否定”（double negative），都表示说话人教育不良。bad words口角。
[58] Just cheeky-like.=He was just cheeky-like.他就是有点没规矩而已。
[59] 'E never meant [ment] no harm.=He never meant any harm.他从来不怀恶意（又是“双重否定”）。meant是mean [mi:n]的过去式，“存……的心”的意思。
[60] That kind那种人，指Collingwood那种没规矩的人。
[61] does=means any harm
[62] Wasn't it' im=Wasn't it he.比较：It's me=It's I.
[63] D.S.O.=Distinguished Service Order（英国海、陆、空军的）功勋章
[64] Nothing more now=I want nothing more now.
[65] chapel ['tʃæpəl] time做礼拜的时候
[66] He was killed -- in Egypt ['i:dʒɪpt] , I think.我想他（Collingwood）是在埃及被打死的。这句与上一句、下一句都无关，是Chips想到就随口插入的。
[67] you can bring是“bring”的婉转说法。
[68] about then大约在那个时候，在chapel time前后。
[69] placid ['plæsɪd]安宁的
[70] his pension was adequate ['ædɪkwɪt]他（退休后）的年金是足够用的；他有足够用的退休金。
[71] there was a little money saved up besides另外还攒了一些钱。saved up修饰money。
[72] could afford everything and anything负担得起一切费用。afford常与can连用。
[73] was furnished simply and with schoolmasterly taste这里and连接一个副词和一个状语短语。schoolmasterly taste教员喜爱的风格。
[74] sporting trophies ['trəʊfɪz]体育比赛的奖品（如银杯、银牌）
[75] mantelpiece ['mæntl'pi:s]壁炉架
[76] fixture-cards定期举行的运动会（或庆祝会等）的请帖
[77] a worn Turkey ['tɜ:kɪ] carpet破旧的土耳其（羊毛）地毯
[78] pictures on the wall of the Acropolis and the Forum=pictures of the Acropolis and the Forum on the wall.Acropolis [ə'krɒpəlɪs]古代雅典（Athens）的高丘城堡。Forum ['fɔ:rəm]古罗马的市场。
[79] housemaster's（学校里）舍监的
[80] School House英国公学里的校长住宅或主要宿舍
[81] classical希腊、拉丁古典作品的
[82] for that had been his subject（美国Little, Brown版作the classics having been his subject.他过去教的科目是古希腊语和拉丁语。（后者是独立结构，表示原因。）
[83] seasoning原是“调味品”的意思，转义为“增加兴趣的东西”。
[84] belles-lettres ['bel'letrə]纯文学
[85] piled up with为……所堆满的；堆满……的
[86] cheap editions廉价版书刊，普及本[87] Virgil ['vɜ:dʒɪl]维吉尔，罗马诗人（公元前70—19）；这里指他的著作。
[88] Xenophon ['zenəfən]色诺芬，希腊武士兼历史家、哲学家（公元前435?—355?）；这里指他的著作。
[89] back again with回过头来又重读（……书）。上文曾说他爱读侦探小说，所以这里说他读了一会儿古典作品又读起侦探小说来。
[90] Doctor Thorndyke ['θɔ:ndaɪk]英国小说家Richard Alfred Freeman（1862—1943）所著侦探小说中的医生兼律师。
[91] Inspector French [frentʃ]爱尔兰小说家Freeman Wills Crofts（1879—1957）所著侦探小说中的探长。
[92] despite his long years of assiduous [ə'sɪdjʊəs] teaching虽然他多年勤奋教授（希腊、拉丁语）。这是插入的介词短语构成的状语短语。
[93] he thought of Latin and Greek far more as dead languages from which English gentlemen ought to know a few quotationsthan as living tongues that had ever been spoken by living people他把拉丁语和希腊语认为是英国上等人应该从中学懂一些语录的死语言，远过于认为是曾经被人们讲过的活语言。
[94] short leading articles（报刊的）短评；短的社论。leading article在英国指社论，在美国指报刊上的主要文章。
[95] the Times《泰晤士报》（英国著名日报, 1785年创刊）
[96] tags [tægz]常被人引用的词句（这里指希腊、拉丁语词句）
[97] dwindling ['dwɪndlɪŋ] number of people一群数目正在减少的人
[98] such things指上句的tags。
[99] was这个谓语动词的主语是不定式短语To be…
[100] secret and valued freemasonry ['fri:ˌmeɪsnrɪ]秘密而可贵的情投意合（犹之乎“心有灵犀一点通”）。
[101] he felt这是插入语。
[102] derived from从……中得到