My l4-year-old son, John, and I spotted the coat simultaneously. It was hanging on a rack at a secondhand clothing store in Northampton Mass, crammed in with shoddy trench coats and an assortment of sad, woolen overcoats -- a rose among thorns.
在马萨诸塞州北安普顿市的一家出售二手服装的店里，我和我14岁的儿子约翰同时盯上了那件大衣。它就挂在衣架上，夹在劣质的军用风雨衣和各式各样寒酸的羊毛大衣当中，然而它却像荆棘丛中的一朵玫瑰。

While the other coats drooped, this one looked as if it were holding itself up. The thick, black wool of the double-breasted chesterfield was soft and unworn, as though it had been preserved in mothballs for years in dead old Uncle Henry's steamer trunk. The coat had a black velvet collar, beautiful tailoring, a Fifth Avenue label and an unbelievable price of $28. We looked at each other, saying nothing, but John's eyes gleamed. Dark, woolen topcoats were popular just then with teenage boys, but could cost several hundred dollars new. This coat was even better, bearing that touch of classic elegance from a bygone era.
其他的大衣都显得没精打采，惟独这件衣服趾高气扬。厚厚的黑色羊绒柔软而蓬松，这件双排扣暗钮长大衣显然还没上过身，看样子，就像用樟脑球在老亨利叔叔的扁平旅行箱里保存了多年。其做工精细：领子是黑天鹅绒的，商标是第五大街的，价钱让人难以置信，只卖28美元。我们彼此看着对方，一言不发，可约翰的眼里却闪着欣喜的光。黑色的羊绒轻便大衣那时在小伙子们中很流行，买一件新的要花好几百美元，而这一件质地更好一些，还带有一种逝去年代的古典美。

John slid his arms down into the heavy satin lining of the sleeves and buttoned the coat. He turned from side to side, eyeing himself in the mirror with a serious, studied expression that soon changed into a smile. The fit was perfect.
约翰将胳膊伸进了袖管里——衬里是厚厚的缎子，系上了扣子。他在镜子面前转过来调过去地打量着自己，脸上的严肃表情不一会儿就变成了微笑。衣服合身极了。