出了名以后的大约十天左右，我去拜会美国公使，想为祖国效一点儿犬马之劳。他用对我这种身份的人恰如其分的热情接待了我，批评我为祖国效力姗姗来迟。公使说当天晚上他正要宴客，刚好有一位嘉宾因病缺席，我只有补这位嘉宾的缺，才能获得公使的原谅。我应允之后，就和公使聊天。一说起来，原来他和我爸爸从小同学，后来又在耶鲁大学同窗就读；一直到我爸爸去世，他俩都是贴心朋友。因此，他吩咐我只要得闲，就来他府上走动走动；我当然愿意啦。
In fact， I was more than willing， I was glad. When the crashcrash n.碰撞， 坠落， 坠毁， 撞击声， 爆裂声 v.碰撞，坠落， 坠毁， （指商业公司， 政府等）破产， 垮台 should come， he might somehow be able to save me from total destruction， I didnt know how， but he might think of a way， maybe. I couldnt venture to unbosom myself to him at this late date， a thing which I would have been quick to do in the beginning of this awful career of mine in London. No， I couldnt ventureventure n.冒险， 投机， 风险 v.冒险， 冒昧， 斗胆， 胆敢（谦语） it now， I was in too deep， that is， too deep for me to be risking revelations to so new a friend， though not clear beyond my depth， as I looked at it. Because， you see， with all my borrowing， I was carefully keeping within my means—I mean within my salary. Of course， I couldnt know what my salary was going to be， but I had a good enough basis for an estimateestimate v.估计， 估价， 评估 n.估计， 估价， 评估 in the fact， that if I won the bet I was to have choice of any situation in that rich old gentlemans gift provided I was competent—and I should certainly prove competent， I hadnt any doubt about that. And as to the bet， I wasnt worrying about that， I had always been lucky. Now my estimate of the salary was six hundred to a thousand a year， say， six hundred for the first year， and so on up year by year， till I struck the upper figure by proved meritmerit n.优点， 价值 v.有益于。 At present I was only in debt for my first years salary. Everybody had been trying to lend me money， but I had fought off the most of them on one pretext or another， so this indebtednessindebtedness n.受恩惠， 亏欠，债务 represented only ￡300 borrowed money， the other ￡300 represented my keep and my purchases. I believed my second years salary would carry me through the rest of the month if I went on being cautious and economical， and I intended to look sharply out for that. My month ended， my employer back from his journey， I should be all right once more， for I should at once divide the two years salary among my creditorscreditor n.债权人 by assignmentassignment n.分配， 委派， 任务， （课外）作业， and get right down to my work.
说真的，岂止愿意，我简直就是高兴。因为假如将来有个三长两短的，他也许能救我，让我免受灭顶之灾；他究竟怎么救我我不知道，不过他也许能想出办法来。事情已经到了这个地步，我已经不能冒险把自己的底细向他和盘托出；要是在这段伦敦奇遇一开场时就碰上他，我会马上说清楚。不行，现在我不敢说；我陷得太深了，深到不敢对刚结识的朋友说真话；不过，依我自己看来，也还没有深到完全没顶的地步。你知道，这是因为我小心不让全部外债超过我的支付能力——也就是说，不超过我的那份薪水。我当然不知道那份薪水到底有多少，不过有一点我有把握、也可以想见：假如我帮忙把这个赌打赢了，我就能在那位大亨的职权范围里任意选择一个职位，只要我干得了就行——我当然干得了啦；这一点我根本不怀疑。说到他们打的那个赌，我才不操心呢；我想必运气不错。至于薪水，我想年薪总会有六百到一千英镑；即使第一年只拿六百英镑，以后每过一年就要加薪，到我的能力得到证实的时候，薪水总能加到一千英镑了吧。尽管谁都想借给我钱，我却找出各种各样的借口婉言谢绝了一大部分；这样我欠的债只有借来的三百英镑现款，再加上拖欠的三百英镑生活费和赊的东西。我相信，只要我依旧小心节俭，靠我下一年度的薪水就能补上这一个这剩余日子的亏空，何况我真是格外小心，从不大手大脚。只等这个月到头，我的老板回来，就万事大吉了；那时，我就可以马上用头两年的薪水分头向各位债主还账，也就能立即开始工作了。
It was a lovely dinnerparty of fourteen. The Duke and Duchess of Shoreditch， and their daughter the Lady AnneGraceEleanorCeleste—andsoforthandsoforth—deBohun， the Earl and Countess of Newgate， Viscount Cheapside， Lord and Lady Blatherskite， some untitled people of both sexes， the minister and his wife and daughter， and his daughters visiting friend， an English girl of twentytwo， named Portia Langham， whom I fell in love with in two minutes， and she with me—I could see it without glasses. There was still another guest， an American—but I am a little ahead of my story. While the people were still in the drawingroom， whettingwhet vt.磨， 磨快， 使兴奋 up for dinner， and coldly inspecting the late comers， the servant announced：“Mr. Lloyd Hastings.”
当天的宴会妙不可言，席上一共有十四个人。绍勒迪希公爵和公爵夫人以及他们的女儿安妮-格蕾丝-爱莲诺-赛来斯特—还有一串什么什么—德-波鸿女士，纽格特伯爵和伯爵夫人，契普赛德子爵，布拉瑟斯凯特爵士和夫人，几对没有头衔的夫妇，公使以及他的夫人和女儿，还有公使女儿的朋友、二十二岁的英国姑娘波蒂娅·朗姆。没出两分钟，我就爱上了她，她也爱上了我——这一点我不戴眼镜也看得出来。另外还有一位美国客人——我这故事讲得有点儿超前了。这些人正在客厅里等着，一边吊胃口，一边冷眼旁观后到的客人。这时仆人来报：“劳埃德·赫斯廷斯先生到。”
The moment the usual civilitiescivility n.礼貌， 端庄 were over， Hastings caught sight of me， and came straight with cordially outstretchedoutstretched adj.伸出的， 伸展的 hand， then stopped short when about to shake， and said， with an embarrassedembarrass vt.使困窘， 使局促不安， 阻碍， 麻烦 look： “I beg your pardon， sir， I thought I knew you.”
老一套的寒暄过后，赫斯廷斯瞧见了我，诚心诚意地伸出手，径直朝我走了过来；手还没握上，他忽然停了下来，不好意思地说：“对不起，先生，我还以为咱们认识呢。”
“Why， you do know me， old fellow.”
“怎么，您当然认识我啦，老朋友。”
“No. Are you the—the—”
“不。难道您就是——是——”
“Vestpocket monster？ I am， indeed. Dont be afraid to call me by my nicknamenickname n.诨号， 绰号， 昵称vt.给…取绰号， 给…起诨名， Im used to it.”
“腰缠万贯的怪物吗？对，就是我。你别害怕喊我的外号，我听惯了。”
“Well， well， well， this is a surprise. Once or twice Ive seen your own name coupled with the nickname， but it never occurred to me that you could be the Henry Adams referred to. Why， it isnt six months since you were clerking away for Blake Hopkins in Frisco on a salary， and sitting up nights on an extra allowanceallowance n.津贴， 补助， 宽容， 允许 vt.定量供应， helping me arrange and verify the Gould and Curry Extension papers and statistics.The idea of your being in London， and a vast millionaire， and a colossal celebritycelebrity n.名声， 名人！ Why， its the Arabian Nights come again. Man， I cant take it in at all， cant realize it， give me time to settle the whirl in my head.”
“嗨嗨嗨，这可真没想到。有几次我看到你的名字和这个外号放在一块，我从来没想过他们说的那个亨利·亚当斯会是你。怎么？刚刚半年以前，你还在旧金山给布莱克·霍普金斯打工，为了挣点加班费经常开夜车，帮我整理核查古尔德和加利矿业公司的招股文件和统计数字呢。真没想到你会到了伦敦，成了百万富翁、当了名人了！好嘛，这可真是把天方夜谭重演了一遍。伙计，我一下还转不过弯子来，没弄明白；容我点时间来理理脑袋里头这一团乱麻。”
“The fact is， Lloyd， you are no worse off than I am. I cant realize it myself.”
“可是明摆着，你比我混得也不赖呀。我自己也弄不明白。”
“Dear me， it is stunning， now isnt it？ Why， its just three months today since we went to the Miners restaurant—”
“好家伙，这真是万万没有想到的事，是吧？哎，咱俩上矿工饭馆才不过是三个月以前的事呢——”
“No，the What Cheer.”
“不对，是上快活林。”
