评论
打印
The boy was at first delighted to discover the present his mother had hidden away as his Christmas gift. But then he began to worry that his mother would now no longer have the pleasure of giving him a surprise. What was he to do?
发现了母亲为他藏好的圣诞礼物男孩起先很高兴。但接着他就开始担心，妈妈将因此失去给他一个惊喜的喜悦。他该怎么办呢？
A Magician at Stretching a Dollar
能把一块钱拉长的魔术师
That December, with Christmas approaching, she was out at work and Doris was in the kitchen when I let myself into her bedroom one afternoon in search of a safety pin. Since her bedroom opened onto a community hallway, she kept the door locked, but needing the pin, I took the key from its hiding place, unlocked the door and stepped in. Standing against the wall was a big, black bicycle with balloon tires. I recognized it instantly. It was the same second-hand bike I'd been admiring in a Baltimore Street shop window. I'd even asked about the price. It was a shock. Something like $15. Somehow my mother had scraped together enough for a down payment and meant to surprise me with the bicycle on Christmas morning.
那年的十二月，圣诞节临近了。一天下午，妈妈在外面上班，妹妹多丽丝在厨房里，我为了找一枚安全别针而开门走进了妈妈的卧室。因为她的卧室门正对着共用的走廊，她总是把门锁着，但我因为需要别针，便从藏钥匙的地方取出钥匙，打开门，走了进去。只见靠墙立着一辆低压轮胎的、大的黑色自行车。我一下子就认出了它。这正是那摆在巴尔的摩大街一家商店橱窗里一直让我羡慕不已的二手车。我甚至还问过这辆车的价钱。简直贵得吓人。差不多要十五块钱。妈妈想办法凑足了首付款，打算在圣诞节早晨拿这辆自行车给我一个惊喜。
I was deeply moved by the discovery and yet sickened by the knowledge that, bursting into her room like this, I had robbed her of the pleasure of seeing me astonished and delighted on Christmas day. I hadn't wanted to know her lovely secret; still coming upon it like this made me feel as though I'd struck a blow against her happiness. I backed out, put the key back in its hiding place, and thought over what to do.
这一发现让我深为感动，然而想到这样闯进她的卧室，从而剥夺了她在圣诞节那天见到我又惊又喜时的欢乐，我又感到厌恶。我本不想知道她这个可爱的秘密；但像这样偶然地发现了它仍然使我觉得好像重重地打击了她的欢乐一样。我从她的卧室退了出来，把钥匙放回原处，认真考虑着该怎么办才好。
