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"This is quite good."
“这种很好。”
"This is not bad either, but a little too heavy."
“这种也不错，可是稍微腻了一点。”
All the time it was quite evident that he sincerely believed that he might eventually buy one of these puddings, and I am positive that he did not for a moment feel that he was in any way cheating the store. Poor old chap! Probably he had come down in the world and this sampling was all that was left him from the time when he could afford to come and select his favorite pudding.
有一点自始至终很明显：他真诚地相信自己最终也许会买一只布丁；而我也确信，他一点也不觉得自己是在欺骗商店。可怜的老头儿！很可能他已经家道败落。从前他是有钱来选购他最喜爱的布丁的，而今却只能这样来品尝一下布丁的味道了。
Amidst the crowd of happy, prosperous looking Christmas shoppers, the little black figure of the old man seemed pitiful and out of place, and in a burst of benevolence, I went up to him and said:
为圣诞节忙着采购商品的顾客个个喜形于色，看上去都很富裕。老人矮小的黑色身影在这群人中间显得很可怜，很不相称。我突然动了恻隐之心，走到他跟前说：
"Pardon me, sir, will you do me a favor? Let me purchase you one of these puddings. It would give me such pleasure."
“请原谅，先生，能赏我个脸吗？让我为您买一只布丁吧。如果您肯收下，我将不胜欣慰。”
He jumped back as if he had been stung, and the blood rushed into his wrinkled face.
他往后一跳，仿佛被什么东西蜇了一下似地，他那张布满皱纹的脸顿时涨得通红。
"Excuse me," he said, with more dignity than I would have thought possible considering his appearance, "I do not believe I have the pleasure of knowing you. Undoubtedly you have mistaken me for someone else." And with a quick decision he turned to the shop girl and said in a loud voice, "Kindly pack me up this one here. I will take it with me." He pointed at one of the largest and most expensive of the puddings.
“对不起，”他说，其神态之高傲，远非我根据其外表所能想像得出，“我想我跟您并不相识。无疑您是认错人了。”于是他当机立断，转向女店员，大声说道：“劳驾把这只替我包扎一下。我要带走的。”他指了指最大的、也是最贵的一只布丁。
The girl took down the pudding from its stand and started to make a parcel of it, while he pulled out a worn little black pocketbook and began counting out shillings and pennies on to the counter. To save his "honour" he had been forced into a purchase which he could not possibly afford. How I longed for the power to unsay my tactless words! It was too late though, and I felt that the kindest thing I could do now would be walk away.
女店员从架子上取下那只布丁，动手包扎。这时，他掏出一只破旧的黑色小皮夹子，开始一个先令一个便士地数着硬币，把它们放在柜台上。为了保住“面子”，他被迫买下了他实在买不起的东西。我多么希望能收回我那些不得体的话啊！然而为时已晚，我感到此时惟有走开才是最积德的事。
You pay at the desk, the shop girl was telling him, but he did not seem to understand and kept trying to put the coins into her hand. And that was the last I saw or heard of the old man. Now he can never go there to sample puddings any more.
“请您到那边账台上去付款，”女店员告诉他，但他却好像没有听懂，只管把硬币往她手里塞。打这以后我再也没有看到这位老人，也没有听到过有关他的情况。现在他再也不会到那家商店去品尝布丁了。
