Miss Martha took to wearing her bluedotted silk waist behind the counter. In the back room she cooked a mysterious compound of quincequince n.[植］温柏，温柏树 seeds and borax. Ever so many people use it for the complexioncomplexion n.面色，肤色，情况，局面。
玛莎小姐在店堂里的时候，也穿起那件蓝点子的绸背心来了。她在后房熬了一种神秘的温棒子和硼砂的混合物。有许多人用这种汁水美容。
One day the customer came in as usual，laid his nickel on the showcase，and called for his stale loaves. While Miss Martha was reaching for them there was a great tooting and clanging，and a fireengine came lumbering past.
一天，那个顾客又像平时那样来了，把五分镍币往柜台上一扔，买他的陈面包。当玛莎小姐去拿面包的时候，外面响起一阵嘈杂的喇叭声和警钟声，一辆救火车隆隆驶过。
The customer hurried to the door to look，as any one will. Suddenly inspired，Miss Martha seizedseize v.抓住，逮住，夺取 vt.没收，查封 the opportunity.
这位顾客跑到门口去张望，遇到这种情况，任何人都会这样做的。玛莎小姐突然灵机一动，抓住了这个机会。
On the bottom shelf behind the counter was a pound of fresh butter that the dairymandairyman n.乳品加工工人，乳牛场主，养乳牛者 had left ten minutes before. With a bread knife Miss Martha made a deep slash in each of the stale loaves，inserted a generous quantity of butter，and pressed the loaves tight again.
柜台后面最低的一格架子上放着一磅新鲜黄油，送牛奶的人拿来还不到十分钟。玛莎小姐用切面包的刀子把两个陈面包都拉了一条深深的口子，各塞进一大片黄油，再把面包按紧。
When the customer turned once more she was tying the paper around them.
当顾客再进来时，她已经把面包用纸包好了。
When he had gone，after an unusually pleasant little chat，Miss Martha smiled to herself，but not without a slight fluttering of the heart.
他们分外愉快地聊了几句。顾客离开之后，玛莎小姐情不自禁地微笑起来，可是心头不免有点着慌。
Had she been too bold？ Would he take offense？ But surely not. There was no language of edibles. Butter was no emblem of unmaidenly forwardnessforwardness n.鲁莽，早熟，热心。
她是不是太大胆了呢？他会不高兴吗？绝对不会的。食物并不代表语言。黄油并不象征有失闺秀身份的冒失行为。
For a long time that day her mind dwelt on the subject. She imagined the scene when he should discover her little deceptiondeception n.欺骗，诡计。
那天，很长一段时间她的心思老是在这件事上打转。她揣摩着他发现这场小骗局时的情景。
He would lay down his brushes and palette. There would stand his easel with the picture he was painting in which the perspective was beyond criticismcriticism n.批评，批判。
他会放下画笔和调色板。画架上支着他正在画的图画，那幅画的透视法一定是无可挑剔的。
He would prepare for his luncheonluncheon n.午宴，正式的午餐 of dry bread and water. He would slice into a loaf—ah！
他会拿起干面包和清水当午饭。他会切开一个面包。
Miss Martha blushed. Would he think of the hand that placed it there as he ate？ Would he—
想到这里，玛莎小姐匆匆的脸上泛起了红晕。他吃面包的时候会不会想到那只把黄油塞在里面的手呢？他会不会——
The front door bell jangledjangle v.刺耳响 n.吵嚷 viciously. Somebody was coming in，making a great deal of noise.
前门上的铃铛恼人地响了。有人闹闹嚷嚷地走进来。
Miss Martha hurried to the front. Two men were there. One was a young man smoking a pipe—a man she had never seen before. The other was her artist.
玛莎小姐匆匆赶到店堂里去。那儿有两个男人。一个是叼着烟斗的年轻人——她以前从没见过，另一个就是她的艺术家。
His face was very red，his hat was on the back of his head，his hair was wildly rumpled. He clinchedclinch n.钉牢，拥吻 v.敲弯，扭住 his two fists and shook them ferociously at Miss Martha. At Miss Martha.
他的脸涨得通红，帽子推到后脑勺上，头发揉得乱蓬蓬的。他捏紧拳头，凶猛地朝玛莎小姐摇晃。竟然向玛莎小姐摇晃。
“—Dummkopf—！” he shouted with extreme loudness，and then “—Tausendonfer—！” or something like it in German.
“Dummkopf！（笨蛋！）”他拉开嗓子嚷道，接着又喊了一声“Tausendonfer！（五雷轰顶的！）”或者类似的德国话。
The young man tried to draw him away.
年轻的那个试图把他拖开。
“I will not go，” he said angrily，“else I shall told her.”
“我不走，”他怒气冲冲地说，“我非跟她讲个明白不可。”
He made a bass drum of Miss Marthas counter.
他擂鼓似的敲着玛莎小姐的柜台。
“You haf shpoilt me.” he cried，his blue eyes blazing behind his spectacles. “I vill tell you. You vas von meddingsome old cat！”
“你把我给毁啦。”他嚷道，他的蓝眼睛几乎要在镜片后面闪出火来。“我对你说吧。你是个讨厌的老猫！”
Miss Martha leaned weakly against the shelves and laid one hand on her bluedotted silk waist. The young man took the other by the collar.
玛莎小姐虚弱无力地倚在货架上，一手按着那件蓝点子的绸背心。年轻人抓住同伴的衣领。
“come on，” he said，“youve said enough.” He dragged the angry one out at the door to the sidewalk，and then came back.
“走吧，”他说，“你也骂够啦。”他把那个暴跳如雷的人拖到门外，自己又回来了。
“Guess you ought to be told，maam，” he said，“what the row is about. Thats Blumberger. Hes an architecturalarchitectural adj.建筑上的，建筑学的 draftsman. I work in the same office with him.”
“夫人，我认为应当把这场吵闹的原因告诉你，”他说，“那个人姓布卢姆伯格。他是建筑图样设计师。我和他在一个事务所里工作。”
“Hes been working hard for three months drawing a plan for a new city hall. It was a prize competition. He finished inking the lines yesterday. You know，a draftsman always makes his drawing in pencil first. When its done he rubs out the pencil lines with handfuls of stale bread crumbs. Thats better than India rubber.”
“他在绘制一份新市政厅的平面图，辛辛苦苦地干了三个月。准备参加有奖竞赛。他昨天刚上完墨。你明白，制图员总是先用铅笔打底稿的。上好墨之后，就用陈面包屑擦去铅笔印。陈面包比擦字橡皮好得多。”
“Blumbergers been buying the bread here. Well，today—well，you know，maam，that butter isnt—well，Blumbergers plan isnt good for anything now except to cut up into railroad sandwiches.”
“布卢姆伯格一向在你这里买面包。嗯，今天——嗯，你明白，夫人，里面的黄油可不——嗯，布卢姆伯格的图样成了废纸，只能裁开来包三明治啦。”
Miss Martha went into the back room. She took off the bluedotted silk waist and put on the old brown serge she used to wear. Then she poured the quince seed and boraxborax n.硼砂 mixture out of the window into the ash can.
玛莎小姐走进后房。她脱下蓝点子的绸背心，换上那件穿旧了的棕色衣服。接着，她把温棒子和硼砂煎汁倒在窗外的垃圾箱里。