红发会 07奇怪的广告(2)

"He is still with you, I presume?"

"我猜想，他现在还是和你在一起吧。"

"Yes, sir. He and a girl of fourteen,

"是的，先生。除他以外，还有一个十四岁的小女孩。

who does a bit of simple cooking and keeps the place clean–that's all I have in the house,

这个女孩子做饭、打扫房子。我屋子里就只这些人，

for I am a widower¹ and never had any family.

因为我是个鳏夫，我没有成过家。

We live very quietly, sir, the three of us; and we keep a roof over our heads and pay our debts, if we do nothing more."

先生，我们三个人一起过着安静的生活；我们住在一起，欠了债一起还，要是没有别的事可做的话。"

"The first thing that put us out was that advertisement.

打扰我们的头一件事是这个广告。

Spaulding, he came down into the office just this day eight weeks, with this very paper in his hand, and he says:

正好在八个星期以前的这天，斯波尔丁走到办公室里来，手里拿着这张报纸。他说：

'I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed man.'

'威尔逊先生，我向上帝祷告，我多么希望我是个红头发的人啊。'

'Why that?' I asks. 'Why,' says he, 'here's another vacancy² on the League of the Red-headed Men.

我问他，'那是为什么？'他说，'为什么？红发会现在又有了个空缺。

It's worth quite a little fortune to any man who gets it, and I understand that there are more vacancies³ than there are men,

谁要是得到这个职位，那简直是发了相当大的财。据我了解，空缺比谋职的人还多，

so that the trustees are at their wits' end what to do with the money.

受托管理那笔资金的理事们简直不知道该怎么办才好，有钱没有地方花啊。

If my hair would only change colour, here's a nice little crib all ready for me to step into.'

如果我的头发能变颜色就好了，这个怪不错的安乐窝就等着我去了。'

'Why, what is it, then?' I asked. You see, Mr. Holmes, I am a very stay-at-home man,

我问他，'那又是怎么回事呢？'福尔摩斯先生，你可知道，我是个深居简出的人。

and as my business came to me instead of my having to go to it,

因为我的买卖是送上门来的，用不着我到外面奔走兜生意，

I was often weeks on end without putting my foot over the door-mat.

我往往一连几个星期足不出户。

In that way I didn't know much of what was going on outside, and I was always glad of a bit of news.

所以，我对外界孤陋寡闻，我总是乐意能听到点消息。

1 widower   

n.鳏夫

参考例句：

• George was a widower with six young children.乔治是个带著六个小孩子的鳏夫。
• Having been a widower for many years,he finally decided to marry again.丧偶多年后，他终于决定二婚了。

2 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

3 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》