"Who is that in the uniform?" the boy asked.
“穿制服的这个人是谁?”男孩问道。
"He's a soldier," she answered without looking up.
“他是一名士兵,”她回答道,并没有抬头。
"Oh," said the boy. "But who is he?"
“噢,”男孩说,“但是,他是谁呢?”
"He was a friend of mine before you were born," she said. Then added, "Do I smell something cooking? Take your stamps and off you go. That's the boy."
“他是我的一位朋友,那时你还没出生,”她说。然后她补充道:“我是不是闻到做饭的味道了?拿着你的邮票下楼去吧。这才是我的好孩子。”
The boy looked at the back of the picture of the man and saw in black spidery ink "John, Aug' 15 Ballintoye."
男孩看了看那张照片的背面,看到上面有细长的黑色墨迹“约翰,8月15日,巴林托伊”。
"I thought maybe it was Brother Benignus," he said. She looked at him not answering.
“我想他可能是贝尼格纳斯兄弟,”他说道。她看着他,没有回答。
"Was your friend killed in the war?"
“你的朋友是在战争中牺牲了吗?”
At first she said no, but then she changed her mind.
一开始她说没有,但是后来她改变了说法。
"Perhaps he was," she said, then smiled. "You are too inquisitive. Put it to use and go and see what is for tea. Your mother will need the kettle." She came over to the bureau and helped tidy the photographs away. Then she locked it and put the keys on the shelf.
“也许是的,”她说,然后笑了,“你好奇心太强了。把它用在正道上,去看看要不要沏茶。 你妈妈需要这个水壶。”她来到书桌旁,帮忙把那些照片收拾起来。然后把它们锁了起来,把钥匙放在了架子上。
"Will you bring me up my tray?"
“你能把我的托盘拿上来吗?”
The boy nodded and left.
男孩点了点头,离开了。