第10章 理解的赠品The Gift of Understanding

保尔·威利亚德 /Paul Villiard

I must have been around four years old when I f irst entered Mr. Wigden's candy shop, but the smell of that wonderful world of penny treasures still comes back to me clearly more than a haft-century later. Whenever he heard the tiny tinkle of the bell attached to the front door, Mr. Wigden quietly appeared, to take his stand behind the candy case. He was very old, and his head was topped with a cloud of f ine, snow-white hair.

Never was such an array of delicious temptations spread before a child. It was almost painful to make a choice. Each kind had f irst to be savored in the imagination before passing on to the next. There was always a short pang of regret as the selection was dropped into a little white paper sack. Perhaps another kind would taste better? Or last longer? Mr. Wigden had a trick of scooping your selection into the sack, then pausing. Not a word was spoken, but every child understood that Mr. Wigden's raised eyebrows constituted a last-minute opportunity to make an exchange. Only after payment was on the counter was the sack irrevocably twisted shut and the moment of indecision ended.

Our house was two blocks from the streetcar line, and I had to pass the shop going to and from the cars. Mother had taken me into town on some forgotten errand, and as we walked home from the trolley mother turned into Mr. Wigden's.

“Let's see if we can f ind something good. ” she said, leading me up to the long glass case as the old man approached from behind a curtained aperture. My mother stood talking with him for a few minutes as I gazed rapturously at the wonderful display before my eyes. F inally, mother picked out something for me and paid Mr. Wigden.

Mother went into town once or twice a week, and, since in those days baby-sitters were almost unheard of, I usually accompanied her. It became a regular routine for her to take me into the candy shop for some special treat, and after that f irst visit I was always allowed to make my own choice.

I knew nothing of money at that time. I would watch my mother hand something to people, who would then hand her a package or a bag, and slowly the idea of exchange percolated into my mind. Sometime about then I reached a decision. I would journey the interminable two blocks to Mr. Wigden's all alone. I remember the tinkle of the bell as I managed, after some considerable effort, to push open the big door. Enthralled, I worked my way slowly all the way down the display counter.

Here were spearmint leaves with a fresh minty fragrance. There gumdrops-the great big ones, so tender to bite into, all crusty with crystals of sugar. In the next tray were fudgy chocolate babies. The box behind them held enormous jawbreakers which made a satisfying bulge in your cheek. The hard, shiny, dark-brown-covered peanuts Mr. Wigden dished out with a little wooden scoop-two scoops for a cent. And, of course, there were the licorice whips. These lasted a long time if you let the bites dissolve instead of chewing them.

When I had picked out a promising assortment Mr. Wigden leaned over the counter and asked, “You have the money to pay for all these?”

“Oh, yes, ” I replied, “I have lots of money. ”I reached out my f ist, and into Mr. Wigden's open hand I dumped a half-dozen cherry seeds carefully wrapped in shiny tinfoil.

Mr. Wigden stood gazing down at the palm of his hand, then he looked searchingly at me for a long moment.

“ Isn't it enough?” I asked him anxiously.

He sighed gently. “ I think it is a bit too much, ” he answered, “ You have some change coming. ” He walked over to his old-fashioned cash register and cranked open the drawer. Returning to the counter, he leaned over and dropped two pennies into my outstretched hand.

My mother scolded me about taking the trip alone when she found me out. I don't think it ever occurred to her to ask about the f inancial arrangement. I was simply cautioned not to go again unless I asked f irst. I must have obeyed and, evidently, when permission was granted for me to make the trip, a cent or two was given me for my purchases. since I don't remember using cherry seeds a second time. In fact, the whole affair insignif icant to me then, was soon forgotten in the busy occupation of growing up.

When I was six or seven years old, my family moved east, where I grew up, eventually married and established my own family. My wife and I opened a shop where we bred and sold exotic f ish. The aquarium trade was then still in its infancy, and most of the f ish were imported directly from Asia, Africa and South America. Few species sold for less than f ive dollars a pair.

One sunny afternoon a little girl came in accompanied by he brother. They were perhaps f ive and six years old , I was busy cleaning the tanks. The two children stood with wide, round eyes, staring at the jeweled beauties swimming in the crystal-clear water. “Gosh,” exclaimed the boy, “Can we buy some?”

“Yes, ” I replied. “ If you can pay for them. ”

“ Oh, we have lots of money,”the little girl said conf idently.

Something in the way she spoke gave me an odd feeling of familiarity. After watching the f ish for some time, they asked me for pairs of several different kinds, pointing them out as they walked down the row of tanks. I netted their choices into a traveling container and slipped it into an insulated bag for transport, handing it to the boy. “Carry it carefully.” I cautioned.

He nodded and turned to his sister. “You pay him,” he said. I held out my hand and, as her clenched f ist approached me, I suddenly knew exactly what the little girl was going to say. Her f ist opened, and into my out-stretched palm she dumped two nickels and a dime.

At that instant I sensed the full impact of the legacy Mr. Wigden had given me so many years before. Only now did I recognize the challenge I had presented the old man, and realize how wonderfully he had met it.

I seemed to be standing again in the little candy shop as I looked at the coins in my own hand. I understood the innocence of the two children and the power to preserve or destroy that innocence, as Mr. Wigden had understood those long years ago. I was so f illed up with the remembering that my throat ached. The little girl was standing expectantly before me. “ Isn't it enough?” she asked in a small voice.

“It's a little too much,” I managed to say, somehow, over the lump in my throat. “You have some change coming.” I rummaged around in the cash drawer, dropped two pennies into her open hand, then stood in the doorway watching the children go down the walk carefully carrying their treasure.

When I turned back into the shop, my wife was standing on a stool with her arms submerged to the elbows in a tank where she was rearranging the plants. “Mind telling me what that was all about?” she asked. “ Do you know how many f ish you just gave them?”

“ About 30 dollars’ worth, ”I answered. “ But I couldn't have done anything else. ”

When I'd f inished telling her about old Mr. Wigden her eyes were wet, and she stepped off the stool and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“ I still smell the gumdrops, ”I sighed, and I'm certain I heard old Mr. Wigden chuckle over my shoulder as I swabbed down the last tank.

我第一次走进威格顿先生的糖果铺大概是在四岁。即使半个多世纪过去了，我依然能清楚地闻到那个用几分钱就能买到宝贝的奇妙世界的味道。只要一听到大门上的铃发出的轻微的响声，他便会悄悄地出现，站到糖果柜的后边。他已经老了，头顶被一层又细又白的头发所覆盖。

没有哪个孩子曾经见过如此多的美食摆在面前。要在那么多东西面前做出选择可真是伤脑筋呀。首先，你必须在想象中尝一尝每种糖果的味道，接着再考虑下一种糖果。当一种糖被选中，“噗”的一下被装进小小的白纸口袋的时候，我的心总会突地一跳，为自己的选择感到后悔。或许另一种味道会比这个好些吧？或者吃得时间久一点？威格顿先生有一种习惯，即先用勺子将你选中的糖果放在纸袋里，接着他会停顿一下。他不说一句话，然而每个孩子都明白威格顿先生那高挑的眉毛意味着给你最后更改主意的机会。只有当钱放到柜台上时，纸袋才不可避免地被拧紧封好，而这也意味着犹豫不决的时刻宣告结束。

我们家距离有轨电车线有两个街区远，每次去车站或下电车回来都会路过这个店铺。有一次，母亲领着我进城，至于去做什么我已经不记得了。我们在下了电车回家的路上，母亲拐进了威格顿先生的店铺。

“看看有没有什么好吃的。”她说着把我领到了长长的玻璃柜台前，正在这时，老人从帘子挡着的缝里迎了出来。母亲站着跟他聊了几分钟，我却兴高采烈地盯着眼前那些琳琅满目的糖果。最后，母亲为我挑选了一些，并付钱给威格顿先生。

每个星期，母亲都会进城一两次。那个时候，根本没有临时帮忙照看小孩的，因此在一般情况下，我都会跟着母亲。每次母亲都会带着我走进糖果铺买点好吃的，这已经成了惯例。在去过第一次之后，母亲总会让我自己挑选。

那时的我，根本不知道什么是钱。我经常看到母亲会递给别人一些东西，而别人则会递给她一个袋子或一个包，渐渐地，交换的概念渗入了我的头脑中。或许就在那个时期，我做出一个决定：我要独自一人穿过那长得仿佛没有尽头的两个街区，走到威格顿先生的店铺去。我依然记得我费了很大劲才推开那扇大门，门铃叮当作响。我仿佛着迷般地慢慢向糖果柜台走去。

这是有着清香薄荷味的留兰香叶，一种大个头的软糖，一口咬上去，绵软绵软的，还有一层亮晶晶的糖屑撒在上面。在它旁边的盘子里，是小块的牛奶巧克力糖。而盘子后边的盒子里装的则是大块的圆硬糖，把这种糖含在嘴里会把腮帮子都顶得高高的，的确令人心满意足。另外是一种花生，外面裹着一层脆脆的闪闪发亮的深棕色的东西，威格顿先生用一个小木勺将它们舀出来，一分钱两勺。当然，还有甘草糖。假如含着这些糖不嚼，只是让它在嘴里溶化，能吃好长时间。

当我挑选了一些各式各样的好糖后，威格顿先生从柜台上弯下腰问我：“你有钱买这么多糖果吗？”

“哦，当然，”我回答道，“我钱多着呢。”我把拳头伸出来，将六七个用闪闪发亮的锡纸细心包好的樱桃核放到威格顿先生张开的手中。

威格顿先生站在那里，凝视着自己的手掌，接着他盯着我看了好长时间，像是想要发现点什么似的。

“钱不够吗？”我不安地问他。

他轻轻地叹了一口气。“我觉得太多了，”他回答说，“我给你找钱。”他走到那个老式的现金出纳机前，把抽屉打开，然后回到柜台旁，从里面弯下腰，把两分钱放到我伸出的手掌里。

母亲在发现这件事情之后，责骂了我，说我不应该独自一人出门。我觉得她从未想过要问我哪里来的钱买糖。我只被告诫未经她的允许，不准再出去了。我必定按照她所说的去做。很显然，只要得到她的允许，我总会得到一两分钱来买糖吃，因为我记得再也没有用樱桃核买过糖了。事实上，这件事对我来说无关紧要，我忙于长大成人，所以很快就把它遗忘了。

我六七岁的时候，我们举家搬迁到东部生活。我在那里长大成人，然后结婚，建立了自己的家庭。我和妻子开了一个商店，专门喂养和出售外国鱼。由于这一行业刚刚兴起，鱼大多是直接从亚洲、非洲和南美洲进口来的，因此一对鱼大多数都不会少于五美元。

一个阳光灿烂的下午，一个小女孩和她的弟弟走了进来。他们大概有五六岁，当时我正忙着洗鱼缸。那两个孩子就站在那里，眼睛瞪得又大又圆，盯着那些在透明而清澈的水中游来游去的珠宝似的美丽的鱼儿。“嗨！”小男孩喊了起来。“我们能买几条这样的鱼吗？”

“当然可以，”我回答说，“只要你们有钱。”

“哦，我们钱多着呢。”小女孩满怀信心地说。

她说话的神情让我有一种奇怪而熟悉的感觉。看了一会儿之后，他们沿着那排鱼缸边走边向我指出他们想要的几对不同种类的鱼。我将他们选中的鱼用网捞起来，装进一个运输用的隔热的口袋里，然后交给这个小男孩。“小心拿好啊。”我提醒他。

他点了点头，然后转向姐姐说：“你把钱付给他吧。”我伸出了手，就在她那紧握的拳头靠近我的时候，我突然清楚地知道这个小女孩想要说什么。她的拳头松开了，将两个五分镍币和一枚一角钱的银币放到我伸出的手中。

刹那间，我领悟到威格顿先生多年前所做的那件事给我带来的所有影响。只是到现在，我才意识到当年我对那位老人的挑战，才意识到他是多么出色地接受了这一挑战。

我望着手中的硬币，仿佛又站在那个小小的糖果铺里，如同威格顿先生多年之前理解到的那样，我理解了这两个孩子的天真以及保存或者摧毁这种天真的力量。我心中满是回忆，喉咙也哽住了。小女孩充满希望地站在我的面前，小声地问道：“钱不够吗？”

“我觉得太多了，”我的喉咙发堵，好不容易才说出这句话来，“我还要找给你钱呢。”我在现金抽屉里翻找着，将两分钱放到她张开的手掌中，接着便站在门口望着人行道上这两个孩子小心翼翼地捧着他们的宝贝走了。

等我回到店里，妻子正站在凳子上，将胳膊伸入水缸中重新整理水草，水一直没到她的肘部。“介不介意告诉我这是怎么回事？”她问，“你知不知道刚才你给了他们多少条鱼呀？”

“有三十块钱的吧，”我回答，“可是我不能不给啊。”

当我给她讲完老威格顿的故事后，她的眼睛湿润了，她从凳子上走下来，在我的脸上轻轻地吻了一下。

“如今，我仍然能闻到那种软糖的香味。”我叹了叹气，擦最后一只鱼缸的时候，我确实听到威格顿先生在我身后发出了轻轻的笑声。

记忆填空

1._______ was such an array of delicious temptations spread before a_______. It was almost painful to make a_______. Each kind had f irst to be savored in the imagination before passing on to the_______. There was always a short pang of regret as the selection was dropped into a little white_______ sack.

2.Something in the way she_______ gave me an odd feeling of familiarity._______watching the f ish for some time, they_______ me for pairs of several different kinds, pointing them out as they walked down the_______ of tanks.

3.When I turned_______into the shop, my wife was standing on a stool_______ her arms submerged to the elbows in a tank_______ she was rearranging the plants.

佳句翻译

1.没有哪个孩子曾经见过如此多的美食摆在他的面前。

译_______________________________________________________________

2.我仿佛着迷般地慢慢向糖果柜台走去。

译_______________________________________________________________

3.只是到现在，我才意识到当年我对那位老人的挑战，才意识到他是多么出色地接受了这一挑战。

译_______________________________________________________________

短语应用

1.F inally, mother picked out something for me and paid Mr. Wigden.

pick out：拣出，选出

造_______________________________________________________________

2.Few species sold for less than f ive dollars a pair.

less than：小于，不超过，不到

造_______________________________________________________________