《Unit 7 The Chaser课文翻译综合教程三》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《Unit 7 The Chaser课文翻译综合教程三（5页珍藏版）》请在金锄头文库上搜索。
1、Unit 7 The ChaserJohn Henry Collier1 Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dim hallway before he found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors. 2 He pushed open this doo
2、r, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On one of the dirty buff-coloured walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a dozen bottles and jars. 3 An old man sat in th
3、e rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him the card he had been given. “Sit down, Mr. Austen,” said the old man very politely. “I am glad to make your acquaintance.” 4 “Is it true,” asked Alan, “that you have a certain mixture that has er quite extraordinary effects?” 5 “
4、My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my stock in trade is not very large I dont deal in laxatives and teething mixtures but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects which could be precisely described as ordinary.” 6 “Well, the fact is ” began Alan. 7 “Here, for example,” interr
5、upted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a liquid as colourless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.” 8 “Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan, very much horri
6、fied. 9 “Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.” 10 “I want nothing of that sort,” said Alan. 11 “Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. “Do you k
7、now the price of this? For one teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.” 12 “I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Alan apprehensively. 13 “Oh dear, no,” said the old man. “It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love p
8、otion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion.” 14 “I am glad to hear that,” said Alan. 15 “I look at it like this,” said the old man. “Please a customer with one article, and he will come back when he need
9、s another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if necessary.” 16 “So,” said Alan, “you really do sell love potions?” 17 “If I did not sell love potions,” said the old man, reaching for another bottle, “I should not have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a po
10、sition to oblige that one can afford to be so confidential. “ 18 “And these potions,” said Alan. “They are not just just er ” 19 “Oh, no,” said the old man. “Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere casual impulse. But they include it. Oh, yes they include it. Bountifully, insiste
11、ntly. Everlastingly.” 20 “Dear me!” said Alan, attempting a look of scientific detachment. “How very interesting!” 21 “But consider the spiritual side,” said the old man. 22 “I do, indeed,” said Alan. 23 “For indifference,” said the old man, “they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one
12、tiny measure of this to the young lady its flavour is imperceptible in orange juice, soup, or cocktails and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether. She will want nothing but solitude and you.” 24 “I can hardly believe it,” said Alan. “She is so fond of parties.” 25 “She will not li
13、ke them anymore,” said the old man. “She will be afraid of the pretty girls you may meet.” 26 “She will actually be jealous?” cried Alan in a rapture. “Of me?” 27 “Yes, she will want to be everything to you.” 28 “She is, already. Only she doesnt care about it.” 29 “She will, when she has taken this.
14、 She will care intensely. You will be her sole interest in life.” 30 “Wonderful!” cried Alan. 31 “She will want to know all you do,” said the old man. “All that has happened to you during the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why you smile suddenly, why you ar
15、e looking sad.” 32 “That is love!” cried Alan. 33 “Yes,” said the old man. “How carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified. She will think you are killed, or that some siren has ca
16、ught you.” 34 “I can hardly imagine Diana like that!” cried Alan, overwhelmed with joy. 35 “You will not have to use your imagination,” said the old man. “And, by the way, since there are always sirens, if by any chance you should, later on, slip a little, you need not worry. She will forgive you, in the end. She will be terr
