Introduction：The Wescotts are a common couple of average income and aspiration。They differ from their social peers only in their preference for serious music。After the battered radio finally broke down，they bought a new one，which entails a series of surrealistic incidents。
1 Jim and Irene Wescott were the kind of people who seem to strike that satisfactory average of income，endeavor and respectability that is reached by the statistical reports in college alumni bulletins。They were the parents of two young children，they had been married nine years，they lived on the twelfth floor ofan apartment house near Sutton Place，they went to the theater on an average of10.3 times a year，and they hoped someday to live in Westchester。Irene Wescott was pleasant，rather plain girl with soft brown hair，and a wide，fine forehead upon which nothing at all had been written，and in the cold weather she wore acoat of fitch skins dyed to resemble mink。You could not say that Jim Wescott looked younger than he was，but you could at least say of him that he seemed to feel younger。He wore his graying hair cut very short，he dressed in the kind ofclothes his class had worn at Andover，and his manner was earnest，vehement，and intentionally naive。The Westcotts differed from their friends，their classmates，and their neighbors，only in an interest they shared in serious music。They went to a great many concerts—although they seldom mentioned this to anyone—and they spent a good deal of time listening to music on the radio。
评注：作者在介绍维斯科特一家的情况时所采用的语气宛如收音机里的新闻播报，充满了数据，没有感情，不动声色。它为全篇定下了基调，也能说明维斯科特一家情况的普遍性。
2 Their radio was an old instrument，sensitive，unpredictable，and beyond repair。Neither of them understood the mechanics of radio—or when the instrumentfaltered，Jim would strike the side of the cabinet with his hand。This sometimes helped。One Sunday afternoon，in the middle of a Schubert quartet，the music faded away altogether。Jim struck the cabinet repeatedly，but there was no responsethe Schubert was lost to them forever。He promised to buy Irene a new radio，and on Monday when he came home from work he told her that he had got one。He refused to describe it，and said it would be a surprise for her when it came。
评注：第3～5段描写了艾琳和吉姆刚看到新收音机时的反应。注意作者描写新收音机时使用的一系列词，结合下文，有助于理解艾琳对新收音机态度的转变。
strike：v。达到，处于
endeavor：n。努力，奋斗，事业
respectability：n。可敬，得体
statistical：adj。统计的
fine forehead upon which nothing at all had been written：光滑的额头，还没有皱纹
fitch：n。鸡鼬鼠皮
dye：v。染色
mink：n。貂皮
vehement：adj。激情澎湃的
unpredictable：adj。不可预测的
falter：v。变弱，衰弱
quartet：n。四重奏
the Schubert was lost to them forever：舒伯特的四重奏一去不复返了3The radio was delivered at the kitchen door the following afternoon，and with the assistance of her maid and the handyman Irene uncrated it and brought it into the living room。She was struck at once with the physical ugliness of the large gumwood cabinet。Irene was proud of her living room，she had chosen its furnishings and colors as carefully as she chose her clothes，and now it seemed to her that her new radio stood among her intimate possessions like an aggressiveintruder。She was confounded by the number of dials and switches on the instrument panel，and she studied them thoroughly before she put the plug into a wall socket and turned the radio on。The dials flooded with a malevolent green light，and in the distance she heard the music of a piano quintet。The quintet was inthe distance for only an instantit bore down upon her with a speed greater than light and filled the apartment with the noise of music amplified so mightily that it knocked a china ornament from a table to the floor。Sherushed to the instrument and reduced the volume。The violent forces that were snared in the ugly gumwood cabinet made her uneasy。Her children came home from school then，and she took them to the Park。It was not until later in the afternoon that she was able to return to the radio。
4 The maid had given the children their suppers and was supervisingtheir baths when Irene turned on the radio，reduced the volume，and sat down to listen toa Mozart quintet that she knew and enjoyed。The music came through clearly。The new instrument had a much purer tone，she thought，than the old one。She decided that tone was most important and that she could conceal the cabinet behind the sofa。But as soon as she had made her peace with the radio，the interference began。A crackling sound like the noise of a burning powder fuse began to accompany the singing of the strings。Beyond the music，there was a rustling that reminded Irene unpleasantly of the sea，and as the quintet progressed，these noises were joined by the many others。She tried all the dials and switches but nothing dimmed the interference，and she sat down，disappointed and bewildered，andtried to trace the flight of the melody。The elevator shaft in her building ran beside the living-room wall，and it was the noise of the elevator that gave her a clue to the character of the static。The rattling of the elevator cables and the opening and closing of the elevator doors were reproduced in her loudspeaker，and，realizing that the radio was sensitive to electrical currents of all sorts，she began to discern through the Mozart the ringing of telephone bells，thedialing of phones，and the lamentation of a vacuum cleaner。
By listening more carefully，she was able to distinguish doorbells，elevator bells，electric razors，and Waring mixers，whose sounds had been picked up from the apartments that surrounded hers and transmitted through her loudspeaker。The powerful and ugly instrument，with its mistaken sensibility to discord，was more than she could hope to master，so she turned the thing off and went into the nursery to see her children。
handyman：n。勤杂工
uncrate：v。打开箱子
strike：v。吃惊
gumwood：n。胶木
confound：v。使困惑，使惊讶
malevolent：adj。有恶意的
bear down：逼近，冲来
amplify：v。扩大，放大
ornament：n。装饰品
snare：v。（用陷阱等）捕捉，诱捕
quintet：n。五重奏
make one’s peace with：
与……和解
crackle：v。发出噼啪声
fuse：n。保险丝
rustle：v。沙沙作响
bewildered：adj。迷惑不解的
shaft：n。电梯井
static：n。静电
rattle：v。格格作响
discern：v。分辨
lamentation：n。慨叹
vacuum cleaner：真空吸尘器
discord：n。不协调，不和谐5When Jim Wescott came home that night，he went to the radio confidently andworked the controls。He had the same sort of experience Irene had had。A man was speaking on the station Jim had chosen，and his voice swung instantly from the distance into a force so powerful that it shook the apartment。Jim turned the volume control and reduced the voice。Then，a minute or two later，the interference began。The ringing of telephones and doorbells set in，joined by the rasp of the elevator doors and the whir of cooking appliances。The character of the noise had changed since Irene had tried the radio earlierthe last of the electric razors was being unplugged，the vacuum cleaners had all been returned to their closets，and the static reflected that change in pace that overtakes the city after the sun goes down。He fiddled with the knobs but couldn’t get rid of the noises，so he turned the radio off and told Irene that in the morning he’d call the people who had sold it to him and give them hell。
6 The following afternoon，when Irene returned to the apartment from a luncheon date，the maid told her that a man had come and fixed the radio。Irene went into the living room before she took off her hat or her furs and tried the instrument。From the loudspeaker came a recording of the“Missouri Waltz”。It reminded her of the thin，scratchy music from an old-fashioned phonograph that shesometimes head across the lake where she spent her summers。She waited until the waltz had finished，expecting an explanation of the recording，but there was none。The music was followed by silence，and then the plaintive and scratchy record was repeated。She turned the dial and got a satisfactory burst of Caucasianmusic—thump of bare feet in the dust and the rattle of coin jewelry—but in the background she could hear the ringing of bells and a confusion of voices。Her children came home from school then，and she turned off the radio and went tothe nursery。
rasp：n。刺耳的声音
whir：n。呼呼作响
overtake：v。降临，侵袭
fiddle with：摆弄，玩弄
give somebody hell：对某人大发雷霆
luncheon：n。午餐，午宴
scratchy：adj。发沙沙声的
phonograph：n。留声机
plaintive：adj。凄厉的
thump：n。重击声
rattle：n。格格声，嘎嘎声7When Jim came home that night，he was tired，and he took a bath and changedhis clothes。Then he joined Irene in the living room。He had just turned on the radio when the maid announced dinner，so he left it on，and Irene went to thetable。
评注：第8段描写了他们第一次从收音机里听见别人的生活时的情景。广播里传来的各种争吵是对结尾的预示。
8 Jim was too tired to make even pretense of sociability，and therewas nothing about the dinner to hold Irene’s interest，so her attention wandered from the food to the deposits of silver polish on the candlesticks and from there to the music in the other room。She listened for a few minutes to a Chopin prelude and then was surprised to hear a man’s voice break in。“For Christ’s sake，Kathy，”he said，“do you always have to play the piano when I get home？”The music stopped abruptly。“It’s the only chance I have，”the woman said。“I’m at the office all day。”“So am I，”the man said。He added something obscene about an upright piano，and slammed a door。The passionate and melancholy music began again。
9 “Did you hear that？”Irene asked。
10 “What？”Jim was eating his dessert。
11 “The radio。A man said something while the music was still going on—something dirty。”
12 “It’s probably a play。”
13 “I don’t think it is a play，”Irene said。
14 They left the table and took their coffee into the living room。Irene asked Jim to try another station。He turned the knob。“Have you seen my garters？”A man asked。“Button me up，”a woman said。“Have you seen my garters？”The man said again。“Just button me up and I’ll find your garters，”the woman said。Jim shifted to another station。“I wish you wouldn’t leave apple cores in the ashtrays，”a man said。“I hate the smell。”
pretense：n。假装
sociability：n。好交际
deposit：n。沉积物，灰尘
prelude：n。前奏
abruptly：adv。突然地，不经意地
obscene：adj。下流的
slam：v。砰地关门
melancholy：adj。忧郁的
garter：n。吊袜带
button up：扣上……的扣子
ashtray：n。烟灰缸15“This is strange，”Jim said。
16 “Isn’t it？”Irene said。
17 Jim turned the knob again。“On the coast of Coromandel where the earlypumpkins blow，”a woman with a pronounced English accent said，“in the middle of the woods lived the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò。Two old chairs，and half a candle，one old jug without a handle。”
18 “My God！”Irene cried。“That’s the Sweeneys’nurse。”
19 “‘These were all his worldly goods，’”the British voice continued。
20 “Turn that thing off，”Irene said。“Maybe they can hear us。”Jim switched the radio off。“That was Miss Armstrong，the Sweeneys’nurse，”Irene said。“She must be reading to the little girl。They live in 17-B。I’ve talkedwith Miss Armstrong in the Park。I know her voice very well。We must be getting other people’s apartments。”
21 “That’s impossible，”Jim said。
22 “Well，that was the Sweeneys’nurse，”Irene said hotly。“I know her voice。I know it very well。I’m wondering if they can hear us。”
23 Jim turned the switch。First from a distance and then nearer，nearer，as if borne on the wind，came the pure accents of the Sweeneys’nurse again：“‘Lady Jingly！Lady Jingly！’”she said，“‘sitting where the pumpkins blow，will you come and be my wife？said the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò。’”
24 Jim went over to the radio and said“Hello”loudly into the speaker。
25 “‘I am tired of living singly，’”the nurse went on，“‘on this coast so wild and singly，I’m a-weary of my lifeif you’ll come and be my wife，quite serene would be my life。’”
26 “I guess she can’t hear us，”Irene said。“Try something else。”
27 Jim turned to another station，and the living room was filled with the uproar of a cocktail party that had overshot itsmark。Someone was playing the piano and singing the“Whiffenpoof Song”，and the voices that surrounded the piano were vehement and happy。“Eat some more sandwiches，”a woman shrieked。There were screams of laughter and a dish of some sort crashed to the floor。
28 “Those must be the Fullers，in 11-E，”Irene said。“I knew they were giving a party this afternoon。I saw her in the liquor store。Isn’t this too divine？Try something else。See if you can get those people in 18-C。”
29 The Westcotts overheard that evening a monologue on salmon fishing in Canada，a bridge game，running comments on home movies of what had apparently been afortnight Sea Island，and a bitter family quarrel about an overdraft at the bank。They turned off their radio at midnight and went to bed，weak with laughter。Sometime in the night，their son began to call for a glass of water and Irene got one and took it to his room。It was very early。All the lights in the neighborhood were extinguished，and from the boy’s window she couldsee the empty street。She went into the living room and tried the radio。There was some faintcoughing，a moan，and then a man spoke。“Are you all right，darling？”he asked。“Yes，”a woman said wearily。“Yes，I’m all right，I guess，”and then she added with great feeling，“But，you know，Charlie，I don’t feel like myselfany more。Sometimes there are about fifteen or twenty minutes in the week whenI feel like myself。I don’t like to go to another doctor，because the doctor’s bills are so awful already，but I just don’t feel like myself，Charlie。I just never feel like myself。”They were not young，Irene thought。She guessed from the timbre of their voices that they were middle-aged。The restrained melancholy of the dialogue and the draft from the bedroom window made her shiver，andshe went back to bed。
pumpkin：n。南瓜
pronounced：adj。明显的，明确的
uproar：n。喧嚣，吵闹
overshoot its mark：超过规定的厚度、高度、距离等
shriek：v。尖叫
divine：adj。好极了的
overhear：v。无意中听到
salmon：n。三文鱼
bridge：n。桥牌
fortnight：n。两星期
overdraft：n。透支额
extinguish：v。熄灭
timbre：n。音色30The following morning，Irene cooked breakfast for the family—the maid didn’t come up from her room in the basement until ten—braided her daughter’shair，and waited at the door until her children and her husband had been carriedaway in the elevator。Then she went into the living room and tried the radio。“I don’t want to go to school，”a child screamed。“I hate school。I won’t go to school。I hate school。”“You will go to school，”an enraged woman said。“We paid eight hundred dollars to get you into that school and you’ll go ifit kills you。”The next number on the dial produced the worn record of the“Missouri Waltz”。Irene shifted the control and invaded the privacy of several breakfast tables。She overheard demonstrations of indigestion，carnal love，abysmal vanity，faith，and despair。Irene’s life was nearly as simple and sheltered as it appeared to be，and the forthright and sometimes brutal language that came from the loudspeaker that morning astonished and troubled her。She continued to listen until her maid came in。Then she turned off the radio quickly，since this insight，she realized，was a furtive one。
31 Irene had a luncheon date with a friend that day，and she left her apartment a little after twelve。There were a number of women in the elevator when it stopped at her floor。She stared at their handsome and impassive faces，their furs，and the cloth flowers in their hats。Which one of them had been at Sea Island？She wondered。Which one had overdrawn her bank account？The elevator stopped at the tenth floor and a woman with a pair of Skye terriers joined them。Her hairwas rigged high on her head and she wore a mink cape。She was humming the“Missouri Waltz”。
braid：v。把头发编成辫子
enraged：adj。愤怒的
indigestion：n。消化不良
carnal：adj。肉体的，肉欲的
abysmal：adj。极坏的，糟透的
vanity：n。虚荣
insight：n。洞察力，眼光
furtive：adj。偷偷摸摸的，鬼鬼祟祟的
impassive：adj。神情麻木的，木然的
terrier：n。一种原用于狩猎的小型猎犬
rig：v。（通常用于被动态）装配，配备
cape：n。斗篷，披肩
hum：v。哼32Irene had two Martinis at lunch，and she looked searchingly at her friend and wondered what her secrets were。They had intended to go shopping after lunch，but Irene excused herself and went home。She told the maid that she was not tobe disturbedthen she went into the living room，closed the doors，and switched on the radio。She heard，in the course of the afternoon，the halting conversation of a woman entertaining her aunt，the hysterical conclusionof a luncheon party，and hostess briefing her maid about some cocktail guests。“Don’t give the best Scotch to anyone who hasn’t white hair，”the hostess said。“See if you can get rid of the liver paste before you pass those hot things，and could youlend me five dollars？I want to tip the elevator man。”
33 As the afternoon waned，the conversations increased in intensity。Fromwhere Irene sat，she could see the open sky above the East River。There were hundreds of clouds in the sky，as though the south wind had broken the winter into pieces and were blowing it north，and on her radio she could hear the arrival of cocktail guests and the return of children and businessmen from their schools and offices。“I found a good-sized diamond on the bathroom floor this morning，”a woman said。“It must have fallen out of the bracelet Mrs。Dunston was wearing last night。”“We’ll sell it，”a man said。“Take it down to the jeweler on Madison Avenue and sell it。Mrs。Dunston won’t know the difference，and we could use a couple of hundred bucks。”“‘Oranges and lemons，say the bells of St。Clement’s，’”the Sweeneys’nurse sang。“‘Halfpence and farthings，say the bells of St。Martin’s。When will you pay me，say the bells at old Bailey。’”“It’s not a hat，”a woman cried，and at her back roared a cocktail party。“It’s not a hat，it’s a love affair。That’s what Walter Florell said。He said it’s not a hat，it’s a love affair，”and then，in a lower voice，the same woman added，“talk to somebody，for Christ’s sake，honey，talk to somebody。If she catches you standing here not talking to anybody，she’ll take us off her invitation list，and I love these parties。”
in the course of：在……过程中
halting：adj。断断续续的
hysterical：adj。歇斯底里的
brief：v。为……提供信息
Scotch：n。苏格兰威士忌
liver：n。肝
paste：n。酱，liver paste 指猪肝酱
wane：v。减弱，变小
bracelet：n。手镯
buck：n。（俚语）元
catch：v。撞见，当场发现
34 The Wescotts were going out for dinner that night，and when Jim came home，Irene was dressing。She seemed sad and vague，and he brought her a drink。Theywere dining with their friends in the neighborhood，and they walked to where they were going。The sky was broad and filled with light。It was of those splendid spring evenings that excite memory and desire，and the air that touched their hands and faces felt very soft。A Salvation Army band was on the corner playing“Jesus Is Sweeter”。Irene drew her husband’s arm and held him there for a minute，to hear the music。“They are really such nice people，aren’t they？”she said。“They have such nice faces。Actually，they are so much nicer than a lot ofthe people we know。”She took a bill from her purse and walked over and dropped it into the tambourine。There was in her face，when she returned to her husband，a look of radiant melancholy that he was not familiar with。And her conductat the dinner party that night seemed strange to him，too。She interrupted her hostess rudely and stared at the people across the table from her with an intensity for which she would have punished her children。
35 It was still mild when they walked home from the party，and Irene looked up at the spring stars。“How far the little candle throws its beams，”she exclaimed。“So sine a good deed in a naughty world。”She waited that night until Jim had fallen asleep，and then went out into the living room and turned on the radio。
评注：“How far the little candle throws its beams，”，“So sine a good deed in a naughty world。”这两句话出自莎士比亚戏剧《威尼斯商人》，译文分别为“一只小小的蜡烛，她的光照耀得多么远，”和“一件善事也正像这支蜡烛一样，在这罪恶的世界上发出广大光辉。”
36 Jim came home at about six the next night。Emma，the maid，let him in，andhe had taken off his hat and was taking off his coat when Irene ran into the hall。Her face was shining with tears and her hair was disordered。“Go up to 16-C，Jim！”she screamed。“Don’t take off your coat。Go up to 16-C。Mr。Osborn’s beating his wife。They’ve been quarreling since four o’clock，and now he is hitting her。Go up there and stop him。”
37 From the radio in the living room，Jim heard screams，obscenities，and thuds。“You know you don’t have to listen to this sort of thing，”he said。He strode into the living room and turned the switch。“It’s indecent，”he said。“It’s like looking into windows。You know you don’t have to listen to this sort of thing。You can turn it off。”
38 “Oh，it’s so terrible，it’s so dreadful，”Irene was sobbing。“I’vebeen listening all day，and it’s so depressing。”
39 “Well，if it’s so depressing，why do you listen to it？I brought this damned radio to give you some pleasure，”he said。“I paid a great deal of moneyfor it。I thought it might make you happy。I wanted to make you happy。”
40 “Don’t，don’t，don’t，don’t quarrel with me，”she moaned，and laid her head on his shoulder。“All the others have been quarreling all day。Everybody’s been quarreling。They’re all worried about money。Mrs。Hutchinson’s mother is dying of cancer in Florida and they don’t have enough money to send her to the Mayo Clinic。At least，Mr。Hutchinson says they don’t have enough money。And some woman in this building is having an affair with the handyman—with that hideous handyman。It’s too disgusting。And Mrs。Melville has heart trouble，andMr。Hendricks is going to lose his job in April and Mrs。Hendricks is horrid about the whole thing and that girl that plays the“Missouri Waltz”is a whore，a common whore，and the elevator man has tuberculosis and Mr。Osborn has been beating his wife。”She wailed，she trembled with grief and checked the stream of tears down her face with the heel of her palm。
vague：adj。含糊的，不明确的
Salvation Army：救世军，属于基督教的慈善机构
tambourine：n。铃鼓
conduct：n。行为，举止
thud：n。重物撞击时发出的低沉的声音
indecent：adj。不体面的
hideous：adj。极难看的，极丑的
horrid：adj。令人不愉快的
whore：n。妓女
tuberculosis：n。肺结核41“Well why do you have to listen？”Jim asked again。“Why do you have to listen to this stuff if it makes you miserable？”
42 “Oh，don’t，don’t，don’t，”she cried。“Life is too terrible，too sordid and awful。But we’ve never been like that，have we，darling？Have we？I mean，we’ve always been good and decent and loving to one another，haven’t we？And we have two children，two beautiful children。Our lives aren’t sordid，are they，darling？Are they？”She flung her arms around his neck and drew his face down to hers。“We’re happy，aren’t we，darling？We are happy，aren’t we？”
43 “Of course we’re happy，”he said tiredly。He began to surrender his resentment。“Of course we are happy。I’ll have that dammed radio fixed or takenaway tomorrow。”He stroked her soft hair。“My poor girl，”he said。
44 “You love me，don’t you？”she asked。“And we’re not hypercritical or worried about money or dishonesty，are we？”
评注：收音机修好之后，所有的超现实事件都不再发生，艾琳本该能回到最初的平静生活。然而生活中的丑恶已经遮盖不住。就像亚当和夏娃吃了禁果，天真已经丢失，黄金时代不再，艾琳想再次听见纯真的童话，已是枉然。
45 A man came in the morning and fixed the radio。Irene turned it on cautiously and was happy to hear a California-wine commercial and a recording of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony，including Schiller’s“Ode to Joy”。She kept the radio on all day and nothing untoward came toward the speaker。
46 A Spanish suite was being played when Jim came home。“Is everything all right？”he asked。His face was pale，she thought。They had some cocktails and went to dinner to the“Anvil Chorus”from Il Trovatore。This was followed by Debussy’s“La Mer”。
47 “I paid the bill for the radio today，”Jim said。“It cost four hundred dollars。I hope you’ll get some enjoyment out of it。”
48 “Oh，I’m sure I will，”Irene said。
49 “Four hundred dollars is a good deal more than I can afford，”he wenton。“I wanted to get something that you’d enjoy。It’s the last extravagance we’ll indulge in this year。I see that you haven’t paid your clothing bills yet。I saw them on your dressing table。”He looked directly at her。“Why did you tell me you paid them？Why did you lie to me？”
50 “I just didn’t want you to worry，Jim，”she said。She drank some water。“I’ll be able to pay my bills out of this months allowance。There were the slipcovers last month，and that party。”
51 “You’ve got to learn to handle the money I give you a little more intelligently，Irene，”he said。“You’ve got to understand that we don’t have as much money this year as we had last。I had a very sobering talk with Mitchell today。No one is buying anything。We’re spending all of our time promoting new issues，and you know how long that takes。I’m mot getting any younger you know。I’m thirty-seven。My hair will be gray next year。I haven’t done as well as I hoped to do。And I don’t suppose things will get any better。”
sordid：adj。肮脏的，龌龊的
surrender：v。放弃，投降
resentment：n。厌恶
hypercritical：adj。吹毛求疵的
extravagance：n。奢侈
indulge：v。沉溺于，沉湎
slipcover：n。家具套
sobering：adj。使觉得严肃的52“Yes dear，”she said。
53 “We’ve got to start cutting down，”Jim said。“We’vegot to think of thechildren。To be perfectly frank with you，I worry about money a great deal。I’m not at all sure of the future。No one is。If anything should happen to me，there’s the insurance，but that won’t go very far today。I’ve worked awfully hard to give you and the children a comfortable life，”he said bitterly。“I don’t like to see all my energies，all my youth，wasted in fur coast and radios and slipcovers and—”
54 “Please Jim，”she said。“Please。They’ll hear us。”
55 “Who’ll hear us？Emma can’t hear us。”
56 “The Radio。”
57 “Oh，I’m sick！”He shouted。“I’m sick to death of your apprehensiveness。The radio can’t hear us。Nobody can hear us。And what if they can hear us？Who cares？”
评注：艾琳在小说中一直以一个天真的、不了解世事丑恶的形象出现，然而吉姆的话却意外地揭示出艾琳自身以及她的生活和收音机里听到的没有本质区别。她并非冰清玉洁道德高尚的圣女，而是一个也有缺点和罪恶的普通人，只是她刚刚认识到这一点而已。
58 Irene got up from the table and went into the living room。Jim went to thedoor and shouted from there。“Why are you so Christly all of a sudden？What’sturned you overnight into a convent girl？You stole your mother’s jewelry before they probated her will。You never gave your sister a cent of that money that was intended for her—not even when she needed it。You made Grace Howland’s life miserable，and where was all your all your piety and your virtue when you wentto that abortionist？I’ll never forget how cool you were。You packed your bag and went off to have that child murdered as if you were going to Nassau。If you’d had any reasons，if you had any good reasons—”
评注：童话世界已经失落，他们的生活再也无法回到无忧无虑的状态。她听不见保姆给孩子念童话的温暖，却无法视而不见生活中的黑暗。
59 Irene stood for a minute before the hideous cabinet，disgraced and sickened，but she held her hand on the switch before she extinguished the music and the voices，hoping the instrument might speak to her kindly，that she might hear the Sweeney’s nurse。Jim continued to shout at her from the door。The voice on the radio was suave and noncommittal。“An early-morning railroad disaster in Tokyo，”the loudspeaker said，“killed twenty-nine people。A fire in a Catholic hospital near Buffalo for the care of blind children was extinguished early this morning by nuns。The temperature is forty-seven。The humidity is eighty-nine。”
评注：契弗在短篇小说上取得了很大的成就，他的作品关注的并不是社会全景。他将目光集中在美国中产阶级日常而琐碎的生活中，比如本篇作品的场景几乎全部局限在维斯科特一家的居室里。随着收音机不断地揭示出表面光鲜的中产阶级家庭内的痼疾，局限的空间让矛盾越发地一触即发。他的笔法接近现实主义，但是不同于传统的欧·亨利式的意外结局，契弗的短篇小说一般没有戏剧化的结局。本篇小说描写了一桩现实生活中不太可能发生的事件，但其描写的内容和意义都是现实的。收音机的意向也有一定的象征意义。它就像潘多拉的魔盒，当艾琳因为好奇心打开它的时候，她了解了她从来不了解的事情，也因此失去了天真，失去了平静。
cut down：减少，缩减
apprehensiveness：n。焦虑
convent：n。女修道院
probate：v。验证遗嘱的合法性
piety：n。虔诚
virtue：n。美德
abortionist：n。非法为人堕胎者
suave：adj。温文尔雅的
noncommittal：adj。不表明意见的
nun：n。尼姑，修女
humidity：n。湿度
Comprehension Exercises
1 。What does the new radio represent？
2 。When describing the new radio，a series of words connected with hostility had been used。What’s the purpose of such an arrangement？
3 。What’s the significance of the quotation of Shakespeare in 35th paragraph？
约翰·契弗（1912—1982）：美国二十世纪知名的小说家，曾在《纽约客》等杂志上发表作品。他最主要的成就是在短篇小说上。他的关注点一般是美国中产阶级的琐碎生活。但是他不拘泥于生活的表面，而是深入地挖掘家庭内部的鲜为人知的矛盾和痼疾，有很深的社会意义。本篇小说写作的时间离现在虽然已经过去很久，但仍旧不失其深意，在偷拍不但猖獗而且明目张胆、无所顾忌的今天，重读契弗的小说，仍有现实意义。