短篇小说阅读:月老牵引的红线之钱包(1)

     As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline—1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years earlier. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting, on powder-blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John"letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed Hannah.

      一个寒冷的日子，我在回家的路上偶然发现了一个遗失的钱夹。我拾起它并试图找到一些可联系失主的身份证明。但是皮夹中只有３元钱和一封被弄皱的信，这封信看来好像已经放在钱夹里很多年了。信封已磨损，惟有寄信人的住址还清晰可辨。我打开信，希望找到一些线索。信的落款日期是1924年，差不多写于60年前。信的隽秀笔迹出自女性之手，在淡蓝色信笺的左侧角落有一朵小花。这是一封“绝情信”，写给迈克尔的，发信人因她母亲的阻拦再不能见他。即便如此，她写道她仍会一直爱他。署名是汉娜。

      It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way, except for the name Michael, to identify the owner. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. The operator suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number. " She said as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and ask whoever answered if the person wanted her to connect me.

      这是一封精美的信，但是除了迈克尔的名字以外，没有其他办法确定皮夹的主人。或许询问信息台，话务员可以通过信封上的住址查到电话。话务员建议我和她的负责人说，那位负责人犹豫了一会儿，然后说：嗯，“有那个住址的电话号码，但我不能给你。”她说出于礼貌，她可以打那个电话，说明我的情况后，看接电话的人是否愿意让她再与我联系。

      I waited a few minutes and then the supervisor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you. " I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped. " Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was thirty years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago, "the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them, they might be able to track down the daughter. "She gave me the name of the nursing home, and I called the number. The woman on the phone told me the old lady had passed away some years ago, but the nursing home did have a phone number for where the daughter might be living. I thanked the person at the nursing home and phoned the number she gave me. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home. This whole thing is stupid, I thought to myself. Why am I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that has only three dollars and a letter that is almost sixty years old?

      我等候了几分钟，然后那位负责人回到线上：“有一位女士将会和你说。”我问电话另一端的女士，她是否认识一个叫汉娜的人。她吃惊地说：“哦！我们从一户人家买来这栋房子，他们家的女儿叫汉娜。但已经是30年前的事了！”“你知道那户人家现在可能住在哪里吗？”我追问。“我记得汉娜数年以前将她的母亲送到一家养老院，”女人说，“如果你和他们联系，他们可能会找到她女儿。”她给了我养老院的名字，我拨通了电话。电话中的女人告诉我老妇人数年前就已经过世，但是养老院确实有个电话号码，老妇人的女儿可能住在那里。我谢过养老院的人并按她给我的号码去了电话。接电话的女人解释说现在汉娜自己也是住在一家养老院内。我想这整件事真是太傻了，为什么我费这么大的劲去找只有３美元和一封信的钱夹主人，而那封信差不多已有60年了？

      Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living, and the man who answered the phone told me , "Yes, Hannah is staying with us. "Even though it was already 10 P. M. , I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well, "he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television. "

      然而不管怎么样，我还是打电话给汉娜所在的养老院，接电话的男人告诉我，“是的，汉娜是和我们在一起。”即使已经是晚上10点了，我还是问是否可以前去看她，那人犹豫地说：“好吧，你可以试试运气，她可能在客厅里看电视。”

      I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet, silverhaired old-timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eyes. I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder－blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever had with Michael. "She looked away for a moment, deep in thought, and then said softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only sixteen at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor. "

      我谢过了他并开车到养老院。值夜班的护士和一个守卫在门口接待了我。我们上了大楼的三层。在客厅中，护士向汉娜介绍了我。她是一个和蔼的老人，满头银发，面带微笑，神采奕奕。我告诉她关于拾到钱夹的事并给她看了信。她看见左边有花的淡蓝色信封的一刻，深深地吸了一口气并说：“年轻人，这封信是我和迈克尔的最后联系。”她把视线转向别处，陷入沉思，然后柔和地说：“我非常爱他，但是我那时只有16岁，我母亲觉得我年龄太小了。哦，他是如此英俊，看起来像演员肖恩·康纳利一样。”