百万英镑英文版1

2023年12月3日发(作者：贝克曼梁弯沉仪)

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The Million Pound NoteWhen I was twenty-ven years old, I was a mining-broker's clerk in San Francisco, and an expert in all the details of stocktraffic. I was alone in the world, and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but the were ttingmy feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the time was my own after the afternoon board, Saturdays, and I was accustomed to put it in on a little sail-boat on the day I ventured too far, and was carried out to a. Just at nightfall, when hope was about gone, I was picked up by asmall brig which was bound for London. It was a long and stormy voyage, and they made me work my passage without pay,as a common sailor. When I stepped ashore in London my clothes were ragged and shabby, and I had only a dollar in mypocket. This money fed and sheltered me twenty-four hours. During the next twenty-four I went without food and ten o'clock on the following morning, edy and hungry, I was dragging mylf along Portland Place, when a child thatwas passing, towed by a nur-maid, tosd a luscious big pear—minus one bite—into the gutter. I stopped, of cour, andfastened my desiring eye on that muddy treasure. My mouth watered for it, my stomach craved it, my whole being begged forit. But every time I made a move to get it some passing eye detected my purpo, and of cour I straightened up then, andlooked indifferent, and pretended that I hadn't been thinking about the pear at all. This same thing kept happening andhappening, and I couldn't get the pear. I was just getting desperate enough to brave all the shame, and to ize it, when awindow behind me was raid, and a gentleman spoke out of it, saying:"Step in here, plea."I was admitted by a gorgeous flunkey, and shown into a sumptuous room where a couple of elderly gentlemen were nt away the rvant, and made me sit down. They had just finished their breakfast, and the sight of the remains of italmost overpowered me. I could hardly keep my wits together in the prence of that food, but as I was not asked to sample it,I had to bear my trouble as best I , something had been happening there a little before, which I did not know anything about until a good many daysafterwards, but I will tell you about it now. Tho two old brothers had been having a pretty hot argument a couple of daysbefore, and had ended by agreeing to decide it by a bet, which is the English way of ttling will remember that the Bank of England once issued two notes of a million pounds each, to be ud for a specialpurpo connected with some public transaction with a foreign country. For some reason or other only one of the had beenud and canceled; the other still lay in the vaults of the Bank. Well, the brothers, chatting along, happened to get towondering what might be the fate of a perfectly honest and intelligent stranger who should be turned adrift in London withouta friend, and with no money but that million-pound bank-note, and no way to account for his being in posssion of it. BrotherA said he would starve to death; Brother B said he wouldn't. Brother A said he couldn't offer it at a bank or anywhere el,becau he would be arrested on the spot. So they went on disputing till Brother B said he would bet twenty thousandpounds that the man would live thirty days, anyway, on that million, and keep out of jail, too. Brother A took him up. Brother Bwent down to the Bank and bought that note. Just like an Englishman, you e; pluck to the backbone. Then he dictated aletter, which one of his clerks wrote out in a beautiful round hand, and then the two brothers sat at the window a whole daywatching for the right man to give it to.I would have picked up the pear now and eaten it before all the world, but it was gone; so I had lost that by this unluckybusiness, and the thought of it did not soften my feeling towards tho men. As soon as I was out of sight of that hou Iopened my envelope, and saw that it contained money! My opinion of tho people changed, I can tell you! I lost not amoment, but shoved note and money into my vest pocket, and broke for the nearest cheap eating hou. Well, how I did eat!When at last I couldn't hold any more, I took out my money and unfolded it, took one glimp and nearly fainted. Five millionsof dollars! Why, it made my head swim.I must have sat there stunned and blinking at the note as much as a minute before I came rightly to mylf again. The firstthing I noticed, then, was the landlord. His eye was on the note, and he was petrified. He was worshiping, with all his bodyand soul, but he looked as if he couldn't stir hand or foot. I took my cue in a moment, and did the only rational thing there wasto do. I reached the note towards him, and said, carelessly:"Give me the change, plea."Then he was restored to his normal condition, and made a thousand apologies for not being able to break the bill, and Icouldn't get him to touch it. He wanted to look at it, and keep on looking at it; he couldn't em to get enough of it to quenchthe thirst of his eye, but he shrank from touching it as if it had been something too sacred for poor common clay to handle. Isaid:"I am sorry if it is an inconvenience, but I must insist. Plea change it; I haven't anything el."But he said that wasn't any matter; he was quite willing to let the trifle stand over till another time. I said I might not be in hisneighborhood again for a good while; but he said it was of no conquence, he could wait, and, moreover, I could haveanything I wanted, any time I cho, and let the account run as long as I plead. He said he hoped he wasn't afraid to trustas rich a gentleman as I was, merely becau I was of a merry disposition, and cho to play larks on the public in the matterof dress. By this time another customer was entering, and the landlord hinted to me to put the monster out of sight; then hebowed me all the way to the door, and I started straight for that hou and tho brothers, to correct the mistake which hadbeen made before the police should hunt me up, and help me do it. I was pretty nervous; in fact, pretty badly frightened,though, of cour, I was no way in fault; but I knew men well enough to know that when they find they've given a tramp amillion-pound bill when they thought it was a one-pounder, they are in a frantic rage against him instead of quarreling withtheir own near-sightedness, as they ought. As I approached the hou my excitement began to abate, for all was quiet there,which made me feel pretty sure the blunder was not discovered yet. I rang. The same rvant appeared. I asked for thogentlemen."They are gone." This in the lofty, cold way of that fellow's tribe."Gone? Gone where?""On a journey.""But whereabouts?""To the Continent, I think.""The Continent?""Yes, sir.""Which way—by what route?""I can't say, sir."

Maybe tho men mean me well, maybe they mean me ill; no way to decide that—let it go. They've got a game, or a scheme,or an experiment, of some kind on hand; no way to determine what it is—let it go. There's a bet on me; no way to find outwhat it is—let it go. That dispos of the indeterminable quantities; the remainder of the matter is tangible, solid, and may beclasd and labeled with certainty. If I ask the Bank of England to place this bill to the credit of the man it belongs to, they'll doit, for they know him, although I don't; but they will ask me how I came in posssion of it, and if I tell the truth, they'll put me inthe asylum, naturally, and a lie will land me in jail. The same result would follow if I tried to bank the bill anywhere or toborrow money on it. I have got to carry this immen burden around until tho men come back, whether I want to or not. It isuless to me, as uless as a handful of ashes, and yet I must take care of it, and watch over it, while I beg my living. Icouldn't give it away, if I should try, for neither honest citizen nor highwayman would accept it or meddle with it for brothers are safe. Even if I lo their bill, or burn it, they are still safe, becau they can stop payment, and the Bankwill make them whole; but meantime I've got to do a month's suffering without wages or profit—unless I help win that bet,whatever it may be, and get that situation that I am promid. I should like to get that; men of their sort have situations in theirgift that are worth having.I got to thinking a good deal about that situation. My hopes began to ri high. Without doubt the salary would be large. Itwould begin in a month; after that I should be all right. Pretty soon I was feeling first- rate. By this time I was tramping thestreets again. The sight of a tailor-shop gave me a sharp longing to shed my rags, and to clothe mylf decently once I afford it? No; I had nothing in the world but a million pounds. So I forced mylf to go on by. But soon I was driftingback again. The temptation percuted me cruelly. I must have pasd that shop back and forth six times during that manfulstruggle. At last I gave in; I had to. I asked if they had a misfit suit that had been thrown on their hands. The fellow I spoke tonodded his head towards another fellow, and gave me no answer. I went to the indicated fellow, and he indicated anotherfellow with his head, and no words. I went to him, and he said:"Tend to you prently."I waited till he was done with what he was at, then he took me into a back room, and overhauled a pile of rejected suits, andlected the rattiest one for me. I put it on. It didn't fit, and wasn't in any way attractive, but it was new, and I was anxious tohave it; so I didn't find any fault, but said, with some diffidence:"It would be an accommodation to me if you could wait some days for the money. I haven't any small change about me."The fellow worked up a most sarcastic expression of countenance, and said:"Oh, you haven't? Well, of cour, I didn't expect it. I'd only expect gentlemen like you to carry large change."I was nettled, and said:"My friend, you shouldn't judge a stranger always by the clothes he wears. I am quite able to pay for this suit; I simply didn'twish to put you to the trouble of changing a large note."The proprietor took a look, gave a low, eloquent whistle, then made a dive for the pile of rejected clothing, and began tosnatch it this way and that, talking all the time excitedly, and as if to himlf:"Sell an eccentric millionaire such an unspeakable suit as that! Tod's a fool—a born fool. Always doing something like every millionaire away from this place, becau he can't tell a millionaire from a tramp, and never could. Ah, here's thething I am after. Plea get tho things off, sir, and throw them in the fire. Do me the favor to put on this shirt and this suit; it'sjust the thing, the very thing—plain, rich, modest, and just ducally nobby; made to order for a forei g n p r i n c e y o u m a y k no w h i m , s i r , h i s S e r e n e H i g h n e s s t h e H o s p o d a r o f H a l i f a x ; h a d t o l e a v e i t w i t h u s a n d t a k e a mo u r n i n g - s u i t b e c a u s e h i s m o t h e r w a s g o i n g t o d i e w h i c h s h e d i d n ' t . B u t t h a t ' s a l l r i g h t ; w e ca n ' t a l w a y s h a v e t h i n g s t h e w a y w e t h a t i s , t h e w a y t h e y t h e r e ! t r o u s e r s a l l r i g h t , t h e y f i t y o ut o a c h a r m , s i r ; n o w t h e w a i s t c o a t ; a h a , r i g h t a g a i n ! n o w t h e c o a t l o r d ! L o o k a t t h a t , n o w ! P e rf e c t t h e w h o l e t h i n g ! I n e v e r s a w s u c h a t r i u m p h i n a l l m y e x p e r i e n c e . " b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 1 " > b r bd s f i d = " 1 1 2 " > I e x p r e s s e d m y s a t i s f a c t i o n . b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 3 " > b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 4 " > " Q u i t e r i g ht , s i r , q u i t e r i g h t ; i t ' l l d o f o r a m a k e s h i f t , I ' m b o u n d t o s a y . B u t w a i t t i l l y o u s e e w h a t w e ' l l g e tu p f o r y o u o n y o u r o w n m e a s u r e . C o m e , T o d , b o o k a n d p e n ; g e t a t i t . L e n g t h o f l e g , 3 2 " a n d s oo n . B e f o r e I c o u l d g e t i n a w o r d h e h a d m e a s u r e d m e , a n d w a s g i v i n g o r d e r s f o r d r e s s - s u i t s ,m o r n i n g s u i t s , s h i r t s , a n d a l l s o r t s o f t h i n g s . W h e n I g o t a c h a n c e I s a i d : b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 5 " > b rb d s f i d = " 1 1 6 " > " B u t , m y d e a r s i r , I c a n ' t g i v e t h e s e o r d e r s , u n l e s s y o u c a n w a i t i n d e f i n i t e l y, o r c h a n g e t h e b i l l . " b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 7 " > b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 8 " > " I n d e f i n i t e l y ! I t ' s a w e a k w o r d , s i r, a w e a k w o r d . E t e r n a l l y t h a t ' s t h e w o r d , s i r . T o d , r u s h t h e s e t h i n g s t h r o u g h , a n d s e n d t h e m to t h e g e n t l e m a n ' s a d d r e s s w i t h o u t a n y w a s t e o f t i m e . L e t t h e m i n o r c u s t o m e r s w a i t . S e t d o wn t h e g e n t l e m a n ' s a d d r e s s a n d " b r b d s f i d = " 1 1 9 " > b r b d s f i d = " 1 2 0 " > " I ' m c h a n g i n g m y q u a r te r s . I w i l l d r o p i n a n d l e a v e t h e n e w a d d r e s s . " b r b d s f i d = " 1 2 1 " > b r b d s f i d = " 1 2 2 " > " Q u i t e r i gh t , s i r , q u i t e r i g h t . O n e m o m e n t l e t m e s h o w y o u o u t , s i r . T h e r e g o o d d a y , s i r , g o o d d a y . " b r bd s f i d = " 1 2 3 " > b r b d s f i d = " 1 2 4 " > W e l l , d o n ' t y o u s e e w h a t w a s b o u n d t o h a p p e n ? I d r i f t e d n a tu r a l l y i n t o b u y i n g w h a t e v e r I w a n t e d , a n d a s k i n g f o r c h a n g e . W i t h i n a w e e k I w a s s u m p t u o us l y e q u i p p e d w i t h a l l n e e d f u l c o m f o r t s a n d l u x u r i e s , a n d w a s h o u s e d i n a n e x p e n s i v e p r i v at e h o t e l i n H a n o v e r S q u a r e . I t o o k m y d i n n e r s t h e r e , b u t f o r b r e a k f a s t I s t u c k b y H a r r i s ' s h u mb l e f e e d i n g h o u s e , w h e r e I h a d g o t m y f i r s t m e a l o n m y m i l l i o n - p o u n d b i l l . I w a s t h e m a k i n g of H a r r i s . T h e f a c t h a d g o n e a l l a b r o a d t h a t t h e f o r e i g n c r a n k w h o c a r r i e d m i l l i o n - p o u n d b i l ls i n h i s v e s t p o c k e t w a s t h e p a t r o n s a i n t o f t h e p l a c e . T h a t w a s e n o u g h . F r o m b e i n g a p o o r , s tr u g g l i n g , l i t t l e h a n d - t o - m o u t h e n t e r p r i s e , i t h a d b e c o m e c e l e b r a t e d , a n d o v e r c r o w d e d w it h c u s t o m e r s . H a r r i s w a s s o g r a t e f u l t h a t h e f o r c e d l o a n s u p o n m e , a n d w o u l d n o t b e d e n i e d ;a n d s o , p a u p e r a s I w a s , I h a d m o n e y t o s p e n d , a n d w a s l i v i n g l i k e t h e r i c h a n d t h e g r e a t . I j u dg e d t h a t t h e r e w a s g o i n g t o b e a c r a s h b y a n d b y , b u t I w a s i n n o w a n d m u s t s w i m a c r o s s o r d r ow n . Y o u s e e t h e r e w a s j u s t t h a t e l e m e n t o f i m p e n d i n g d i s a s t e r t o g i v e a s e r i o u s s i d e , a s o b er s i d e , y e s , a t r a g i c s i d e , t o a s t a t e o f t h i n g s w h i c h w o u l d o t h e r w i s e h a v e b e e n p u r e l y r i d i c ul o u s . I n t h e n i g h t , i n t h e d a r k , t h e t r a g e d y p a r t w a s a l w a y s t o t h e f r o n t , a n d a l w a y s w a r n i n g ,a l w a y s t h r e a t e n i n g ; a n d s o I m o a n e d a n d t o s s e d , a n d s l e e p w a s h a r d t o f i n d . B u t i n t h e c h e er f u l d a y l i g h t t h e t r a g e d y e l e m e n t f a d e d o u t a n d d i s a p p e a r e d , a n d I w a l k e d o n a i r , a n d w a s ha p p y t o g i d d i n e s s , t o i n t o x i c a t i o n , y o u m a y s a y . b r b d s f i d = " 1 2 5 " > / d i v > d i v i d = " f l o a t _ b t n "c l a s s = " " b d s f i d = " 1 2 6 " > b u t t o n c l a s s = " f l o a t _ b t n l e f t _ b t n " i d = " c o p y _ b u t t o n " d a t a - c l i p bo a r d - a c t i o n = " c o p y " d a t a - c l i p b o a r d - t a r g e t = " # c o n t e n t - t x t " o n c l i c k = " d o _ c o p y ( ) ; " b d s f id = " 1 2 7 " > e m c l a s s = " i c o n " b d s f i d = " 1 2 8 " >

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