通译双语文库:小镇传奇2. 收租人和哈林斯寡妇|2. THE RENT COLLECTOR AND THE WIDOW HULLINS

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小镇传奇|The Card

2. 收租人和哈林斯寡妇|2. THE RENT COLLECTOR AND THE WIDOW HULLINS

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要想在生活中取得成功，需要哪些条件?聪明、好看、善良、勤奋、诚实?或者仅仅只是运气好? 邓瑞·梅钦是个乐天派。当他遇到麻烦时，决不会认输言败，哭天抹泪。他会主动去寻找机会，一旦发现机会，便会牢牢把握。当然，幸运之神也很眷顾着他。幸运的是伯爵夫人打算办场舞会，可邓瑞是如何弄到请柬的呢?幸运的是科多林夫人跟邓瑞的老板起了争执，可邓瑞是如何成为科多林太太的收租人的呢?更幸运的是“亚尔马号”在兰迪德诺附近海域沉没——可邓瑞是如何从这件事上赚得1000英镑的?
邓瑞生活的小镇叫伯斯利。镇上的人们喜欢能让他们欢笑的年轻人。“他真是个传奇。”他们说。他们迫不及待地想知道他下一次的奇遇……
If you want to be successful in life, what do you need? Do you need to be clever, good-looking, kind, hard-working, honest? Or just lucky?
Denry Machin is a cheerful kind of fellow. When he meets a problem, he doesn't lie down and cry about it. He looks for a chance, and when he sees one, he takes it with both hands. He has a lot of luck too, of course. It's lucky that the Countess decides to give a ball, but how does Denry manage to get an invitation? It's lucky that Mrs Codleyn has an argument with Denry's employer, but how does Denry become Mrs Codleyn's rent collector? And it's very lucky indeed for Denry when the Hjalmar goes down in the sea off Llandudno – but how does Denry make a thousand pounds out of it?
The people of Bursley, the town where Denry lives, love a young man who makes them laugh. 'He's a real card,' they say. They can't wait to hear about his next adventure...

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	hopeful ['həʊpfl]	adj.有希望的
	felted ['feltɪd]	v. 把 ... 制成毡(使 ... 粘结)
	rend [rend]	v.撕破;分裂;劈开;强夺
	conversation [ˌkɒnvə'seɪʃn]	n.谈话;会话
	angrily ['æŋɡrəli]	adv.气愤地
	unpleasant [ʌn'pleznt]	adj.使人不愉快的;讨厌的;不合意的;不友好的，粗鲁的
	Countess ['kaʊntəs]	n.女伯爵;伯爵夫人
	etch [etʃ]	v.蚀刻;铭刻;鲜明地描述;流露出
	unfashionable [ʌn'fæʃnəbl]	adj.旧式的;不流行的;不时髦的;过时的
	downstairs [ˌdaʊn'steəz]	adj.楼下的
	Jack [dʒæk]	n.杰克(男子名)
	kindly ['kaɪndli]	adj.和蔼的;温和的;爽快的
	penny ['peni]	n.便士;【美】分
	forty-five ['fɔːtɪfaɪv]	n.四十五分(时间)
	pick [pɪkt]	采摘，挑选；
	latest ['leɪtɪst]	adj.最近的;最新的

2. 收租人和哈林斯寡妇|2. THE RENT COLLECTOR AND THE WIDOW HULLINS

科多林太太刚听说她的税又要涨了，但她在邓卡夫先生的办公室没呆多久。他们的对话（邓瑞隔着墙听到的）很简短，声音很大，并且言语不太客气。等科多林太太走了后，邓卡夫先生把邓瑞叫进了他的办公室。

“给科多林太太写封信。”他气呼呼地说，“夫人，据我们今早的谈话得悉您有意另觅一位律师……”

邓瑞照他口述写完了这封信。就在邓瑞准备离开房间时，邓卡夫先生又开口了：

“梅钦！”

邓瑞知道会发生什么。自舞会以来他就知道这一天总会到来的。

“谁邀请你去参加舞会的？”

果然如此。一个很难回答的问题。

“我自己，先生。”邓瑞想不出如何去扯个谎。

“为什么？”

“我想您大概忘了邀请我，先生。”

“我看你觉得自己跟伯爵夫人跳舞后就是个真正的上等人了，是吧？”邓卡夫先生不客气地说。

“是的。”邓瑞说，“您觉得呢？”

他本不想说这个。同样一个小小的问句能令伯爵夫人非常开心，但必须承认现在却不能逗乐他的老板。当时邓卡夫先生和伯爵夫人的舞很快就结束了，因为他重重地踩在了她裙子上。

“这周上完班你就不用来了。”邓卡夫先生冷冷地说。

“噢，好吧。”邓瑞说。他暗自思量：“一定有什么好事很快就会发生了。”他还不清楚接下来要做什么，但他依然满心快活。况且他还有哈罗德·埃切斯给他的五英镑。

第二天早上科多林太太和邓瑞做礼拜都迟到了。科多林太太迟到不光是出于偶然，还因为她胖。邓瑞迟到则是故意盘算好的。两人在教堂门口碰上了。

“嗯，你们可真是些体面人，我必须得这么说！”科多林太太对邓瑞说。她是指邓卡夫以及他事务所的所有员工。

“这跟我没有任何关系，你知道的！”邓瑞说。

“我希望能另找个人帮我收租。”

“要是你愿意的话，我仍然可以为你收租。”邓瑞说。

“你？”

“我已经跟邓卡夫说了，我不为他干活了。”邓瑞说，“事实上，我和他在很多事情上看法都不一致。”

科多林太太看着他，想了一会儿。他只是一个年纪轻轻的办事员，他母亲是个洗衣妇。他穿着干净的西装，但又旧又不时髦。

“还有，”邓瑞继续说，“我收费更低。你每周付给邓卡夫90便士——嗯，我一周只要60便士。我活儿也比他干得漂亮。给我一个月时间，你就知道区别了！”

周末，邓瑞母亲家的前门上挂出了一个告示，上面写着：

E. H. 梅钦

收租人

几周后，邓瑞就做得很不错了。他为自己打工，两天挣的钱比在邓卡夫先生那里一周挣的还多。他在镇上转悠，面带笑容，端着架子，与其他年轻人聊天，想着挣钱的新法子。

“我没钱给你。”邓瑞进来时她说道。

“这恐怕不行。”邓瑞欢快地说，“除非给我10便士，否则我不会走的。”

“那你得等很久。等到周六我儿子杰克开始新的工作后我才有钱。”

“我很抱歉，”邓瑞和善地说，“但您不交钱，就得搬走。科多林太太会把您赶到大街上去，这您是知道的。您为什么不搬去和您其中一个孩子住呢？”

二人又说了一会儿，然后邓瑞离开了这所房子，他依然快活地笑着。接着，两分钟后，他的脑袋又出现在了门口。

“听着，大娘，”他说，“要是您愿意，我可以借给您10便士。但您必须每周给我1便士的利息。您下周得把钱还给我，一共是11便士。”

接着他在她的租金簿上写下“10便士，付讫”。

“啊，你真是个有趣的小伙子，梅钦先生。”哈林斯寡妇说。

“我要买下哈林斯寡妇住的那所房子。”他说，“我出45英镑。”那是他的全部积蓄。

科多林太太同意了。眼下卖掉这一所房子对她来说似乎已经足够了。

邓瑞现在是个有房产的人了。他还加入了体育俱乐部——一个为伯斯利镇上富有、时髦、成功的男士开办的俱乐部。对一个洗衣妇的儿子来说，加入这样的一个俱乐部是件了不起的大事。

邓瑞第二次去俱乐部的时候，发现伯斯利的几位重要人物都在那里。那群人正呆在舒服的酒吧一角争论着什么。

“那个铁石心肠的房主是谁啊？”有人问。

“科多林太太。”费恩斯说。

“科多林太太不是房主，”邓瑞大声说，他坐在隔壁桌上，面带笑容。“我才是。”

“哦，对不起，”费恩斯说，“我不知道——”

“不要紧！”邓瑞说，“可我能做什么呢？她交不起房租，或许是不想交。就因为她70岁了我就得让她免费住在那所房子里吗？好吧，告诉我，我该怎么做？”

“费恩斯会把那所房子作为礼物送给她！”一个人笑着说。其他人也都笑了。

“好吧，那正是我打算要做的。”邓瑞说，“我要把房子送给她。我就是那种铁石心肠的房主。”

房间里的人沉默了片刻。

“我是说真的！”邓瑞说，然后举起酒杯，“房子是她的了！祝哈林斯寡妇身体健康！”

第二天早晨，伯斯利镇上的每个人都在谈论这件事。“喂，你听没听说梅钦的最新消息？”

现在他不再是一个传奇，他就是那个传奇。

Mrs Codleyn had just heard that her taxes were going up again, but she did not stay long in Mr Duncalf’s office. The conversation (which Denry listened to through the wall) was short, loud, and not very polite. When Mrs Codleyn left, Mr Duncalf called Denry into his office.

The conversation was short, loud, and not very polite.

Write this letter to Mrs Codleyn,’ he said angrily. ’Madam, I understand from our conversation this morning that you prefer to find another lawyer...’

Denry wrote down the letter. As he was leaving the room, Mr Duncalf spoke again.

Machin!’

Denry knew what was coming. He had known it was coming ever since the ball.

Who invited you to the ball?’

There it was. A very difficult question.

I did, sir.’ Denry just could not think of a lie.

Why?’

I thought perhaps you’d forgotten to, sir.’

I suppose you think you’re a really fine fellow after your dance with the Countess?’ Mr Duncalf said unpleasantly.

Yes,’ said Denry. ’Do you?’

He had not meant to say it. The same little question had amused the Countess greatly, but it was true to say that it was not amusing his employer now. Mr Duncalf’s own dance with the Countess had come to a very quick ending, because he had stepped heavily on her skirt.

You will leave my office at the end of the week,’ said Mr Duncalf, coldly.

Oh, very well,’ said Denry. And he said to himself: ’something good must happen now.’ He had no idea what he would do next, but he was still cheerful. And he still had Harold Etches’ five pounds.

The next morning both Mrs Codleyn and Denry were late for church. Mrs Codleyn was late by accident and also because she was fat. Denry was late because he had planned it that way. The two met at the church door.

Well, you’re nice people, I must say!’ Mrs Codleyn said to Denry. She meant Duncalf and all his office workers.

Nothing to do with me, you know!’ said Denry.

I wish I could find someone else to collect my rents.’

I can still collect them for you, if you like,’ said Denry.

You?’

I’ve told Duncalf I’m leaving him,’ Denry said. ’The fact is, he and I don’t agree on a lot of things.’

Mrs Codleyn looked at him and thought about it. He was just a young office worker, and his mother was a washer-woman. His suit was clean, but old and unfashionable.

And what’s more,’ Denry went on, ’I’ll do the work for less money. You pay Duncalf ninety pence a week – well, I’ll do it for sixty pence a week. And I’ll collect them better than him. Give me a month and you’ll see the difference!’

At the end of the week a notice appeared on the front door of Denry’s mother’s house, which said:

E. H. MACHIN

Rent Collector