Lesson41IllusionsofPastoralpeace寧靜田園生活的遐想

Whatparticularanxietyspoilsthecountrydweller'svisittothetheatre?

Thequietlifeofthecountryahsneverappealedtome.Citybornandcity

bred.Ihavealwaysregardedthecountryassomethingyoulookatthrougha

trainwindow,orsomethingyouoccasionalvisitduringtheweekend.Mostof

myfriendsliveinthecity,yettheyalwaysgointorapturesatthemere

mentionofthecountry.Thoughtheyextolthevirtuesofthepeacefullife,

onlyoneofhemhasevergonetoliveinthecountryandhewasbackintown

withinsixmonths.Evenhestilllivesundertheillusionthatcountrylifeis

somehowsuperiortotownlife.Heisforevertalkingaboutthefriendly

people,thecleanatmosphere,theclosenesstonatureandthegentlepaceof

living.Nothingcanbecompared,hemaintains,withthefirstcockcrow,the

twitteringofbirdsatdawn,thesightoftherisingsunglintingonthetreesand

pastures.Thisidyllicpastoralsceneisonlypartofthepicture.Myfriendfails

tomentionthelongandfriendlesswintereveningsinfrontoftheTV—

virtuallytheonlyformofentertainment.Hesaysnothingaboutthepoor

selectionofgoodsintheshops,oraboutthoseunfortunatepeoplewhohave

totravelfromthecountrytothecityeverydaytogettowork.Whypeople

arepreparedtotolerateafour-hourjourneyeachdayforthedubious

privilegeoflivinginthecountryisbeyondme.Theycouldbesavedsomuch

miseryandexpenseiftheychosetoliveinthecitywheretheyrightlybelong.

Ifyoucandowithoutthefewpastoralpleasuresofthecountry,youwill

findthecitycanprovideyouwiththebestthatlifecanoffer.Youneverhave

totravelmilestoseeyourfriends.Theyinvariablylienearbyandarealways

availableforaninformalchatoranevening'sentertainment.Someofmy

acquaintancesinthecountrycomeuptotownonceortwiceayeartovisitthe

theatreasaspecialtreat.Forthemthisisamajoroperationwhichinvolves

considerableplanning.Astheplaydrawstoitsclose,theywonderwhether

theywillevercatchthatlasttrainhome.Thecitdwellerneverexperiences

anxietiesofthissort.Thelatestexhibitions,films,orplaysareonlyashort

busrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysapleasure.Thelatestexhibitions,

films,orplaysareonlyashortbusrideaway.Shopping,too,isalwaysa

pleasure.Thereissomuchvarietythatyouneverhavetomakedowith

secondbest.Countrypeoplerunwildwhentheygoshoppinginthecityand

staggerhomeloadedwithasmanyoftheexoticitemsastheycancarry.Nor

isthecitywithoutitsmomentsofbeauty.Thereissomethingcomforting

aboutthewarmglowshedbyadvertisementsoncoldwetwinternights.Few

thingscouldbemoreimpressivethanthepeacethatdescendsondesertedcity

streetsatweekendswhenthethousandsthattraveltoworkeverydayare

tuckedawayintheirhomesinthecountry.Ithasalwaysbeenamysteryto

mewhocitydwellers,whoappreciateallthesethings,obstinatelypretend

thattheywouldprefertoliveinthecountry.

Lesson42Moderncavemen現代洞穴人

WithwhatdoesthewritercomparetheGouffreBerger?

Caveexploration,orpot-holing,asithascometobeknown,isarelatively

newsport.Perhapsitisthedesireforsolitudeorthechanceofmakingan

unexpecteddiscoverythatlurespeopledowntothedepthsoftheearth.Itis

impossibletogiveasatisfactoryexplanationforapot-holer'smotives.For

him,caveshavethesamepeculiarfascinationwhichhighmountainshavefor

theclimber.Theyarouseinstinctswhichcanonlybedimlyunderstood.

ExploringreallydeepcavesisnotataskfortheSundayafternoon

rambler.Suchundertakingsrequirethepreciseplanningandforesightof

militaryoperations.Itcantakeaslongaseightdaystorigupropeladders

andtoestablishsupplybasesbeforeadescentcanbemadeintoaverydeep

cave.Precautionsofthissortarenecessary,foritisimpossibletoforetellthe

exactnatureofthedifficultieswhichwillconfrontthepot-holer.Thedeepest

knowncaveintheworldistheGouffreBergernearGrenoble.Itextendstoa

depthof3,723feet.Thisimmensechasmhasbeenformedbyanunderground

streamwhichhastunnelledacoursethroughaflawintherocks.Theentrance

tothecaveisonaplateauintheDauphineAlps.Asitisonlysixfeetacross,

itisbarelynoticeable.Thecavemightneverhavebeendiscoveredhasnot

theentrancebeenspottedbythedistinguishedFrenchpot-holer,Berger.

Sinceitsdiscovery,ithasbecomeasortofpot-holers'Everest.Thougha

numberofdescentshavebeenmade,muchofitstillremainstobeexplored.

Ateamofpot-holersrecentlywentdowntheGouffreBerger.After

enteringthenarrowgapontheplateau,theyclimbeddownthesteepsidesof

thecaveuntiltheycametonarrowcorridor.Theyhadtoedgetheirwayalong

this,sometimeswadingacrossshallowstreams,orswimmingacrossdeep

pools.Suddenlytheycametoawaterfallwhichdroppedintoanunderground

lakeatthebottomofthecave.Theyplungedintothelake,andafterloading

theirgearonaninflatablerubberdinghy,letthecurrentcarrythemtothe

otherside.Toprotectthemselvesfromtheicywater,theyhadtowearspecial

rubbersuits.Atthefarendofthelake,theycametohugepilesofrubble

whichhadbeenwashedupbythewater.Inthispartofthecave,theycould

hearaninsistentboomingsoundwhichtheyfoundwascausedbyasmall

waterspoutshootingdownintoapoolfromtheroofofthecave.Squeezing

throughacleftintherocks,thepot-holersarrivedatanenormouscavern,the

sizeofahugeconcerthall.Afterswitchingonpowerfularclights,theysaw

greatstalagmites—someofthemoverfortyfeethigh—risinguplike

tree-trunkstomeetthestalactitessuspendedfromtheroof.Roundabout,

pilesoflimestoneglistenedinallthecoloursoftherainbow.Intheeerie

silenceofthecavern,theonlysoundthatcouldbeheardwasmadebywater

whichdrippedcontinuouslyfromthehighdomeabovethem.

Lesson43Fullyinsured全保險

Whoownedthepieandwhy?

Insurancecompaniesarenormallywillingtoinsureanything.Insuringpublic

orprivatepropertyisastandardpracticeinmostcountriesintheworld.If,

however,youwereholdinganopenairgardenpartyorafeteitwouldbe

equallypossibletoinsureyourselfintheeventofbadweather.Needlessto

say,thebiggertheriskaninsurancecompanytakes,thehigherthepremium

youwillhavetopay.Itisnotuncommontohearthatashippingcompanyhas

madeaclaimforcostofsalvagingasunkenship.Buttheclaimmadebya

localauthoritytorecoverthecostofsalvagingasunkenpiedishmustsurely

beunique.

Admittedlyitwasanunusualpiedish,foritwaseighteenfeetlongand

sixfeetwide.Ithadbeenpurchasedbyalocalauthoritysothatanenormous

piecouldbebakedforanannualfair.Thepiecommitteedecidedthatthebest

waytotransportthedishwouldbebycanal,sotheyinsureditforthetrip.

Shortlyafteritwaslaunched,thepiecommitteewenttoalocalinnto

celebrate.Atthesametime,anumberofteenagersclimbedontothedishand

heldalittlepartyoftheirown.Dancingprovedtobemorethanthedish

couldbear,forduringthepartyitcapsizedandsankinsevenfeetofwater.

Thepiecommitteetelephonedalocalgarageownerwhoarrivedina

recoverytrucktosalvagethepiedish.Shiveringintheirwetclothes,the

teenagerslookedonwhilethreemendivedrepeatedlyintothewatertolocate

thedish.Theyhadlittledifficultyinfindingit,buthaulingitoutofthewater

provedtobeaseriousproblem.Thesidesofthedishweresosmooththatit

wasalmostimpossibletoattachhawsersandchainstotherimwithout

damagingit.Eventuallychainswerefixedtooneendofthedishanda

powerfulwinchwasputintooperation.Thedishrosetothesurfaceandwas

gentlydrawntowardsthecanalbank.Foroneagonizingmoment,thedish

wasperchedprecariouslyonthebankofthecanal,butitsuddenly

overbalancedandslidbackintothewater.Themenwerenowobligedtotry

oncemore.Thistimetheyfixedheavymetalclampstobothsidesofthedish

sothattheycouldfastenthechains.Thedishnowhadtobeliftedvertically

becauseoneedgewasrestingagainstthesideofthecanal.Thewinchwas

againputintooperationandoneofthemenstartedupthetruck.Several

minuteslater,thedishwasagainputintooperationandoneofthewater.

Waterstreamedintorrentsoveritssideswithsuchforcethatitsetupahuge

waveinthecanal.Therewasdangerthatthewavewouldreboundoffthe

othersideofthebankandsendthedishplungingintothewateragain.By

workingattremendousspeed,themenmanagedtogetthedishontodryland

beforethewavereturned.

Lesson44Speedandcomfort又快捷又舒適

Whichtypeoftransportdoesthewriterprefer,doyouthink?

Peopletravellinglongdistancesfrequentlyhavetodecidewhetherthey

wouldprefertogobyland,sea,orair.Hardlyanyonecanpositivelyenjoy

sittinginatrainformorethanafewhours.Traincompartmentssoonget

crampedandstuffy.Itisalmostimpossibletotakeyourmindoffthejourney.

Readingisonlyapartialsolution,forthemonotonousrhythmofthewheels

clickingontherailssoonlullsyoutosleep.Duringtheday,sleepcomesin

snatches.Atnight,whenyoureallywishtogotosleep,yourarelymanageto

doso.Ifyouareluckyenoughtogetasleeper,youspendhalfthenight

staringatthesmallbluelightintheceiling,orfumblingtofindyouticketfor

inspection.Inevitablyyouarriveatyourdestinationalmostexhausted.Long

carjourneysareevenlesspleasant,foritisquiteimpossibleeventoread.On

motorwaysyoucan,atleast,travelfairlysafelyathighspeeds,butmore

oftenthannot,thegreaterpartofthejourneyisspentonroadswithfew

servicestationsandtoomuchtraffic.Bycomparison,ferrytripsorcruises

offeragreatvarietyofcivilizedcomforts.Youcanstretchyourlegsonthe

spaciousdecks,playgames,meetinterestingpeopleandenjoygoodfood—

alwaysassuming,ofcourse,thattheseaiscalm.Ifitisnot,andyouare

likelytogetseasick,noformoftransportcouldbeworse.Evenifyoutravel

inidealweather,seajourneystakealongtime.Relativelyfewpeopleare

preparedtosacrificeholidaytimeforthepleasureoftravellingbysea.

Aeroplaneshavethereputationofbeingdangerousandevenhardened

travellersareintimidatedbythem.Theyalsohavethedisadvantageofbeing

anexpensiveformoftransport.Butnothingcanmatchthemforspeedand

comfort.Travellingataheightof30,000feet,farabovetheclouds,andat

over500milesanhourisanexhilaratingexperience.Youdonothaveto

devisewaysoftakingyourmindoffthejourney,foranaeroplanegetsyouto

yourdestinationrapidly.Forafewhours,yousettlebackinadeeparmchair

toenjoytheflight.Therealescapistcanwatchafilmandsipchampagneon

someservices.Butevenwhensuchrefinementsarenotavailable,thereis

plentytokeepyouoccupied.Anaeroplaneoffersyouanunusualand

breathtakingviewoftheworld.Yousoareffortlesslyoverhighmountains

anddeepvalleys.Youreallyseetheshapeoftheland.Ifthelandscapeis

hiddenfromview,youcanenjoytheextraordinarysightofunbrokencloud

plainsthatstretchoutformilesbeforeyou,whilethesunshinesbrilliantlyin

aclearsky.Thejourneyissosmooththatthereisnothingtopreventyou

fromreadingorsleeping.Howeveryoudecidetospendyourtime,onething

iscertain:youwillarriveatyourdestinationfreshanduncrumpled.Youwill

nothavetospendthenextfewdaysrecoveringfromalongandarduous

journey.

Lesson45Thepowerofthepress新聞報道的威力

Doesthewriterthinktheparentswhereluckyorunluckytogainprosperityin

thisway?Why?

Indemocraticcountriesanyeffortstorestrictthefreedomofthepressare

rightlycondemned.However,thisfreedomcaneasilybeabused.Stories

aboutpeopleoftenattractfarmorepublicattentionthanpoliticalevents.

Thoughwemayenjoyreadingaboutthelivesofothers,itisextremely

doubtfulwhetherwewouldequallyenjoyreadingaboutourselves.Actingon

thecontentionthatfactsaresacred,reporterscancauseuntoldsufferingto

individualsbypublishingdetailsabouttheirprivatelives.Newspapersexert

suchtremendousinfluencethattheycannotonlybringaboutmajorchanges

tothelivesofordinarypeoplebutcanevenoverthrowagovernment.

Thestoryofapoorfamilythatacquiredfameandfortuneovernight,

dramaticallyillustratesthepowerofthepress.ThefamilylivedinAberdeen,

asmalltownof23,000inhabitantsinSouthDakota.Astheparentshadfive

children,lifewasaperpetualstruggleagainstpoverty.Theywereexpecting

theirsixthchildandwerefacedwithevenmorepressingeconomicproblems.

Iftheyhadonlyhadonemorechild,thefactwouldhavepassedunnoticed.

Theywouldhavecontinuedtostruggleagainsteconomicoddsandwould

havelivedinobscurity.Buttheysuddenlybecametheparentsofquintuplets,

fourgirlsandaboy,aneventwhichradicallychangedtheirlives.Theday

afterthebirthofthefivechildren,anaeroplanearrivedinAberdeenbringing

sixtyreportersandphotographers.

Therisetofamewasswift.Televisioncamerasandnewspaperscarried

thenewstoeveryoneinthecountry.Newspapersandmagazinesofferedthe

familyhugesumsfortheexclusiverightstopublishstoriesandphotographs.

Giftspouredinnotonlyfromunknownpeople,butroombabyfoodandsoap

manufacturerswhowishedtoadvertisetheirproducts.Theoldfarmhousethe

familylivedinwastobereplacedbynew$500,000home.Reporterskept

pressingforinterviewssolawyershadtobeemployedtoactasspokesmen

forthefamilyatpressconferences.Whilethefivebabieswerebabieswere

stillquietlysleepinginoxygententsinhospitalnursery,theirparentswere

payingthepriceforfame.Itwouldneveragainbepossibleforthemtolead

normallives.Theyhadbecomethevictimsofcommercialization,fortheir

nameshadacquiredamarketvalue.Insteadofbeingfivenewfamily

members,thesechildrenhadimmediatelybecomeacommodity.

Lesson46Doityourself自己動手

Didthewriterrepairhislawnmowerintheend?Why/Whynot?

Sogreatisourpassionfordoingthingsforourselves,thatwearebecoming

increasinglylessdependentonspecializedlabour.Noonecanplead

ignoranceofasubjectanylonger,forthesearecountlessdo-it-yourself

publications.Armedwiththerighttoolsandmaterials,newlywedsgaily

embarkonthetaskofdecoratingtheirownhomes.Men,particularly,spend

hoursoftheirleisuretimeinstallingtheirownfireplaces,layingouttheirown

gardens;buildinggaragesandmakingfurniture.Somereallykeenenthusiasts

gosofarastobuildtheirowncomputers.Shopscaterforthedo-it-yourself

crazenotonlybyrunningspecialadvisoryservicesfornovices,butby

offeringconsumersbitsandpieceswhichtheycanassembleathome.Such

thingsprovideanexcellentoutletforpentupcreativeenergy,but

unfortunatelynotallofusarebomhandymen.

Somewivestendtobelievethattheirhusbandsareinfinitelyresourceful

andcanfixanything.Evenmenwhocanhardlydriveanailinstraightare

supposedtobebomelectricians,carpenters,plumbersandmechanics.When

lightsfuse,furnituregetsrickety,pipesgetclogged,orvacuumcleanersfail

tooperate,somewomanassumethattheirhusbandswillsomehowputthings

right.Theworstthingaboutthedo-it-yourselfgameisthatsometimeseven

menliveunderthedelusionthattheycandoanything,evenwhentheyhave

repeatedlybeenprovedwrong.Itisaquestionofprideasmuchasanything

else.

LastspringmywifesuggestedthatIcallinamantolookatourlawn

mower.Ithadbrokendowntheprevioussummer,andthoughIpromisedto

repairit,Ihadnevergotroundtoit.Iwouldnothearofthesuggestionand

saidthatIwouldfixitmyself.OneSaturdayafternoon,Ihauledthemachine

intothegardenandhadacloselookatit.AsfarasIcouldsee,itneededonly

aminoradjustment:aturnofascrewhere,alittletighteningupthere,adrop

ofoilanditwouldbeasgoodasnew.Inevitablytherepairjobwasnotquite

sosimple.Themowerfirmlyrefusedtomow,soIdecidedtodismantleit.

Thegardenwassoonlitteredwithchunksofmetalwhichhadoncemadeupa

lawnmower.ButIwasextremelypleasedwithmyself.Ihadtracedthecause

ofthetrouble.Oneoflinksinthechainthatdrivesthewheelshadsnapped.

AfterbuyinganewchainIwasfacedwiththeinsurmountabletaskofputting

theconfusingjigsawpuzzletogetheragain.Iwasnotsurprisedtofindthat

themachinestillrefusedtoworkafterIhadreassembledit,forthesimple

reasonthatIwasleftwithseveralcuriouslyshapedbitsofmetalwhichdid

notseemtofitanywhere.Igaveupindespair.Theweekspassedandthe

grassgrew.Whenmywifenaggedmetodosomethingaboutit,Itoldherthat

eitherIwouldhavetobuyanewmowerorletthegrassgrow.Needlessto

sayourhouseisnowsurroundedbyajungle.Buriedsomewhereindeep

grassthereisarustinglawnmowerwhichIhavepromisedtorepaironeday.

Lesson47Toohighaprice?代價太高？

Whatdoesthewriterdescribeasan'amusingold-fashionedsourceofnoise'?

Pollutionisthepricewepayforanoverpopulated,overindustrializedplanet.

Whenyoucometothinkaboutit,thereareonlyfourwaysyoucandealwith

rubbish:dumpit,burnit,turnitintosomethingyoucanuseagain,attemptto

producelessofit.Wekeeptryingallfourmethods,butthesheervolumeof

rubbishweproduceworldwidethreatenstooverwhelmus.

Rubbish,however,isonlypartoftheproblemofpollutingourplanet.

Theneedtoproduceever-increasingquantitiesofcheapfoodleadstoa

differentkindofpollution.Industrializedfarmingmethodsproducecheap

meatproducts:beef,porkandchicken.Theuseofpesticidesandfertilizers

producescheapgrainandvegetables.Thepricewepayforcheapfoodmay

bealreadytoohigh:MadCowDisease(BSE)incattle,salmonellainchicken

andeggs,andwisteriaindairyproducts.Andifyouthinkyou'llabandon

meatandbecomeavegetarian,youhavethechoiceofveryexpensive

organically-grownvegetablesorasteadydietofpesticideseverytimeyou

thinkyou'reeatingfreshsaladsandvegetables,orjusthavinganinnocent

glassofwater!

However,thereisanevenmoreinsidiouskindofpollutionthat

particularlyaffectsurbanareasandinvadesourdailylives,andthatisnoise.

Burglaralarmsgoingoffatanytimeofthedayornightserveonlytoannoy

passers-byandactuallyassistburglarstoburgle.Caralarmsconstantly

screamatusinthestreetandareasourceofprofoundirritation.Arecent

surveyoftheeffectsofnoiserevealed(surprisingly?)thatdogsbarking

incessantlyinthenightratedthehighestformofnoisepollutiononascale

rangingfrom1to7.Thesurveyrevealedalargenumberofsourcesofnoise

thatwereallydislike.Lawnmowerswhiningonasummer'sday,late-night

partiesinapartmentblocks,noisyneighbours,vehiclesofalkinds,especially

largecontainertrucksthunderingthroughquietvillage,planesand

helicoptersflyingoverhead,largeradioscarriedroundinpublicplacesand

playedatmaximumvolume.Newtechnologyhasalsomadeitsown

contributiontonoise.Alotofpeopleobjecttomobilephones,especially

whentheyareusedinpublicplaceslikerestaurantsoronpublictransport.

Loudconversationsonmobilephonesinvadeourthoughtsorinterruptthe

pleasureofmeetingfriendsforaquietchat.Thenoisepollutionsurvey

revealedaratherspurringandpossiblyamusingoldfashionedsourceofnoise.

Itturnedouttobesnoring!Menwerefoundtobetheworstoffenders.Itwas

revealedthat20%ofmenintheirmid-thirtiessnore.Thisfigurerisestoa

staggering60%ofmenintheirsixties.Againstthesefigures,itwasfound

thatonly5%ofwomensnoreregularly,whiletherestareconstantlywoken

orkeptawakebytheirtrumpetingpartners.Whateverthesourceofnoise,one

thingiscertain:silence,itseems,hasbecomeagoldenmemory.

Lesson48Thesilentvillage沉默的村莊

Whywasthevillagesilent?

Inthismuch-travelledworld,therearestillthousandsofplaceswhichare

inaccessibletotourists.Wealwaysassumethatvillagersinremoteplacesare

friendlyandhospitable.Butpeoplewhoarecutoffnotonlyfromforeign

tourists,butevenfromtheirowncountrymencanbehostiletotravellers.

Visitstoreallyremotevillagesareseldomenjoyable—asmywifeandI

discoveredduringatourthroughtheBalkans.

Wehadspentseveraldaysinasmalltownandvisitedanumberofold

churchesinthevicinity.Theseattractedmanyvisitors,fortheywerenotonly

ofgreatarchitecturalinterest,butcontainedalargenumberofbeautifully

preservedfrescoesaswell.Onthedaybeforeourdeparture,severalbusloads

oftouristsdescendedonthetown.Thiswasmorethanwecouldbear,sowe

decidedtospendourlastdayexploringthecountryside.Takingapathwhich

ledoutofthetown,wecrossedafewfieldsuntilwecametoadensewood.

Weexpectedthepathtoendabruptly,butwefoundthatittraceditsway

throughthetrees.Wetrampedthroughthewoodforovertwohoursuntilwe

arrivedatadeepstream.Wecouldseethatthepathcontinuedontheother

side,butwehadnoideahowwecouldgetacrossthestream.Suddenlymy

wifespottedaboatmooredtothebank.Inittherewasaboatmanfastasleep.

Wegentlywokehimupandaskedhimtoferryustotheotherside.Though

hewasreluctanttodosoatfirst,weeventuallypersuadedhimtotakeus.

Thepathledtoatinyvillageperchedonthesteepsidesofamountain.

Theplaceconsistedofastragglingunmaderoadwhichwaslinedoneither

sidebysmallhouses.Evenunderaclearbluesky,thevillagelooked

forbidding,asallthehouseswerebuiltofgreymudbricks.Thevillage

seemeddeserted,theonlysignoflifebeinganugly-lookingblackgoatona

shortlengthofropetiedtoatreeinafieldnearby.Sittingdownona

dilapidatedwoodenfencenearthefield,weopenedacoupleoftinsof

sardinesandhadapicniclunch.Allatonce,Inoticedthatmywifeseemedto

befilledwithalarm.LookingupIsawthatweweresurroundedbychildren

inragswhowerelookingatussilentlyasweate.Weofferedthemfoodand

spoketothemkindly,buttheyremainedmotionless.Iconcludedthatthey

weresimplyshyofstrangers.Whenwelaterwalkeddownthemainstreetof

thevillager,wewerefollowedbyasilentprocessionofchildren.Thevillage

whichhadseemeddeserted,immediatelycametolife.Facesappearedat

windows.Meninshirtsleevesstoodoutsidetheirhousesandglaredatus.

Oldwomeninblackshawlspeeredatusfromdoorways.Themost

frighteningthingofallwasthatnotasoundcouldbeheard.Therewasno

doubtthatwewereunwelcomevisitors.Weneedednofurtherwarning.

Turningbackdownthemainstreet,wequickenedourpaceandmadeour

wayrapidlytowardsthestreamwherewehopedtheboatmanwaswaiting.

Lesson49Theidealservant理想的仆人

WhatwasBessie's'littleweaknesses?

ItisagoodthingmyauntHarrietdiedyearsago.Ifshewerealivetodayshe

wouldnotbeabletoairherviewsonherfavouritetopicofconversation:

domesticservants.AuntHarrietlivedinthatleisurelyagewhenservantswere

employedtodohousework.Shehadahuge,ramblingcountryhousecalled

'TheGables'.Shewassentimentallyattachedtothishouse,foreventhoughit

wasfartoobigforherneeds,shepersistedinlivingtherelongafterher

husband'sdeath.Beforeshegrewold,AuntHarrietusedtoentertainlavishly.

IoftenvisitedTheGableswhenIwasboy.Nomatterhowmanyguestswere

present,thegreathousewasalwaysimmaculate.Theparquetfloorsshone

likemirrors;highlypolishedsilverwasdisplayedingleamingglasscabinets;

evenmyuncle'shugecollectionofbookswaskeptmiraculouslyfreefrom

dust.AuntHarrietpresidedoveraninvisiblearmyofservantsthat

continuouslyscrubbed,cleaned,andpolished.Shealwaysreferredtothemas

'theshiftingpopulation',fortheycameandwentwithsuchfrequencythatI

neverevengotachancetolearntheirnames.Thoughmyauntpursuedwhat

was,inthosedays,anenlightenedpolicy,inthatsheneverallowedher

domesticstafftoworkmorethaneighthoursaday,shewasextremely

difficulttoplease.Whileshealwayscriticizedtheficklenessofhumannature,

shecarriedonanunrelentingsearchfortheidealservanttotheendofher

days,evenaftershehadbeensadlydisillusionedbyBessie.

BessieworkedforAuntHarrietforthreeyears.Duringthattimesheso

gainedmyaunt'sconfidencethatshewasputinchargeofthedomesticstaff.

AuntHarrietcouldnotfindwordstopraiseBessie'sindustriousnessand

efficiency.Inadditiontoallherotherqualifications,Bessiewasanexpert

cook.SheactedtheroleoftheperfectservantforthreeyearsbeforeAunt

Harrietdiscoveredher'littleweakness'.AfterbeingabsentfromtheGables

foraweek,myauntunexpectedlyreturnedoneafternoonwithapartyof

guestsandinstructedBessietopreparedinner.Noonlywasthemealwell

belowtheusualstandard,butBessieseemedunabletowalksteadily.She

bumpedintothefurnitureandkeptmumblingabouttheguests.Whenshe

cameinwiththelastcourse—ahugepudding—shetrippedonthecarpetand

thepuddingwentflyingthroughtheair,narrowlymissedmyaunt,and

crashedonthediningtablewithconsiderableforce.Thoughthiscausedgreat

mirthamongtheguests,AuntHarrietwashorrified.Shereluctantlycameto

theconclusionthatBessiewasdrunk.Theguestshad,ofcourse,realizedthis

fromthemomentBessieopenedthedoorforthemand,longbeforethefinal

catastrophe,hadhadadifficulttimetryingtoconcealtheiramusement.The

poorgirlwasdismissedinstantly.Afterherdeparture,AuntHarriet

discoveredthattherewerepilesofemptywinebottlesofallshapesandsizes

neatlystackedinwhathadoncebeenBessie'swardrobe.Theyhad

mysteriouslyfoundtheirwaytherefromthewinecellar!

Lesson50NewYearresolutions新年的決心

Whatmarkedtheendofthewriter'sNewYearr