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12 "No, I don't believe I remember the name."
13 "He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."
14 Burton sipped his gin fizz.
“嗯，我实在不记得这个名字。”
“他称得上是桥牌高手。好像对牌有一种本能似的，简直神了。我那会儿常和他一起玩牌。他在神户住了一段时间。”
伯顿抿了一口杜松子汽酒。
15 "It's rather a funny story,' he said. 'He wasn't a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come on for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."
“说来也是件有趣的事，”他说。“他人不坏。我挺喜欢他。他总是衣冠楚楚，样子挺帅。长得也算英俊，蜷曲的头发，两颊白里透红。女人都对他着迷。你知道，他没有什么害人之处，就是野了点。自然，他酒喝得太凶了。这种人总是这样。他每个季度收到一小笔钱，靠打牌再赚一点。他赢了我不少钱，这我可知道。”
16 Burton gave a kindly chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he could lose money at bridge with a good grace. He stroked his shaven chin with his thin hand; the veins stood out on it and it was almost transparent.
伯顿和善地咯咯一笑。我的处世经验告诉我，他打桥牌输起钱来时一定是大大方方的。他用瘦小的手摸了摸剃得光光的下巴；手上青筋鼓起，手白得几乎透明。
17 "I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.
“大概就是因为这个，当他落得一文不名的时候，就来找我了，再说他和我同姓。有一天，他到我办事处来见我，要我给他个差使。当时我颇为惊讶。他告诉我说家里不再给他寄钱了，他要干活儿了。我问他多大年纪。
18 "'Thirty-five,' he said.
19 "'And what have you been doing hitherto?' I asked him.
20 "'Well, nothing very much,' he said.
21 I couldn't help laughing.
22 "'I'm afraid I can't do anything for you just yet,' I said. 'Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I'll see what I can do.'
“‘35，’他说。
“‘你一直都干什么来着？’我问道。
“‘嗯，没怎么干过事。’他说。
“我禁不住笑了。
“‘眼下恐怕不能帮你忙了，’我说。‘你再过35年来找我，到时候我再看看能帮些什么忙。’
23 "He didn't move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn't been willing to stick to bridge, he'd been playing poker, and he'd got trimmed. He hadn't a penny. He'd pawned everything he had. He couldn't pay his hotel bill and they wouldn't give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn't get something to do he'd have to commit suicide.
“他没有动弹，脸色变得相当苍白。他犹豫了一会儿，然后对我说，这一阵子他牌运一直不好。原来他不甘心老打桥牌，便赌起扑克来，结果输了个精光。他一个子儿也没有，所有的东西都拿去当了。他连酒店的账都付不出，人家也不肯再赊账给他。他已经山穷水尽。要是找不到点事干，他只好自杀。
24 "I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He'd been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn't have thought so much of him if they'd seen him then.
“我瞧了他一会儿。我能看出他已经完全垮了。这一阵子他酒喝得比以前更凶，看上去足有50岁。姑娘们当时要是瞧见他，准不会对他那么着迷了。
25 "'Well isn't there anything you can do except play cards?' I asked him.
26 "'I can swim,' he said.
27 "'Swim!'
28 "I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.
29 "'I swam for my university.'
“‘嗯，你除了打牌以外，难道什么也不会干吗？’我问他。
“‘我会游泳，’他说。
“‘游泳！’
“我几乎以为自己听错了呢；这种回答听起来简直是牛头不对马嘴。
“‘我读大学时曾经代表学校参加游泳比赛。’
