第52课

旁白 neutral

My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study.

我的表兄哈里在他书房里长期陈列着一个硕大而形状奇特的瓶子。

旁白 neutral

Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green,

尽管瓶子是淡绿色的，

旁白 neutral

an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance.

细心的来访者很快就会注意到瓶子里盛满了像厚厚的灰白色物质。

旁白 neutral

If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud.

如果你问哈里瓶子里装的是什么，他会告诉你里面装的是香泥。

旁白 neutral

If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin.

如果你表示怀疑或惊奇，他会立刻请你闻一闻，然后让你往皮肤上擦一些。

旁白 neutral

The brief experiment would dispel any further doubts she might have.

这一短暂的试验会打消你可能有的任何疑虑。

旁白 neutral

The bottle really does contain perfumed mud.

瓶子里确实盛有香泥。

旁白 neutral

How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating.

哈里是如何得到这种稀奇古怪的东西的，说来话长，他本人也乐于讲述。

旁白 neutral

Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.

此外，得到这个瓶子还纠正了他多年来养成的一个坏习惯。

旁白 neutral

Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist.

哈里过去认为，到高级化妆品商店去提出一些闻所未闻的要求，寻找一些根本不存在的商品，是一种莫大的乐趣。

旁白 neutral

He would invent fanciful names on the spot.

他会当场编造一些新奇的名称。

旁白 neutral

On entering a shop,

一进商店，

旁白 neutral

he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes'.

他会要求买一种叫“香影”的新型香水，或“不溶性浴块”。

旁白 neutral

If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out.

如果店员告诉他从未听说过，他便会装出相当不悦的样子。

旁白 neutral

He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock

他喜欢听人说他臆造的商品暂时缺货，

旁白 neutral

and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did.

他会信誓旦旦地答应改日再来，当然他从来也没有去过。

旁白 neutral

How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.

哈里在做这些表演时是如何能不露出笑容的，我简直无法理解。

旁白 neutral

Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud.

哈里无需别人提醒就会讲他是如何买到那珍贵的泥巴瓶的。

旁白 neutral

One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'.

有一天，他去了伦敦一家高级商店，要买“美妙来特”。

旁白 neutral

The shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable.

店员看上去很迷惑，哈里便重复了一遍这个词，并慢慢地重读每个音节。

旁白 neutral

When the woman shook her head in bewilderment,

当那个店员困惑地摇了摇头时，

旁白 neutral

Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles.

哈里接着解释说，“美妙来特”是一种硬的、琥珀状物质，可以用来消除雀斑。

旁白 neutral

This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf.

这种解释显然使那个店员明白了一些什么，她便搜寻了一个又一个的货架。

旁白 neutral

She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements.

她拿出了各种稀奇古怪的混合物，但没有一样符合哈里的要求。

旁白 neutral

When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him.

当哈里装出有点不高兴的样子时，店员答应为他订购一些。

旁白 neutral

Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.

哈里成功后有点得意忘形，接着要买香泥。

旁白 neutral

He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment.

他原以为店员会目瞪口呆地看着他。

旁白 neutral

However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up

然而，这次轮到他吃惊了，因为店员的眼睛立刻亮了起来，

旁白 neutral

and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect.

拿来了好几瓶放在柜台上让哈里检查。

旁白 neutral

For once, Harry had to admit defeat.

哈里只好承认这次是自己输了。

旁白 neutral

He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price.

他拿起看似最小的一瓶，悄悄地问了问价格。

旁白 neutral

He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm.

他庆幸只花了区区20英镑就脱身了，他赶忙溜走，把那瓶宝贝紧紧地夹在胳膊下。

旁白 neutral

From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive.

从那以后，哈里认为他发明的这个小把戏可能代价太大。

旁白 neutral

The curious bottle which now adorns the bookcase in his study was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.

现在他书房书柜上陈列的那个奇特的瓶子是他最后一次购买这种稀奇化妆品。