家庭笑話：5、 Mysterious letters 神秘的信

5. Mysterious letters

I don't like to inquire1 too curiously into your affairs, said the lady to her husband. "But something's been bothering me for days."

So? said the husband. "Tell me all about it."

You got two letters last Friday, the lady said. "They were perfumed2. They were in a girl's handwriting. I saw you open them — you broke into a sweat, you turned white, your hands trembled…For goodness' sake, who was they from and what did they say?"

Oh, that, said the husband. "I decided it was best for both of us not to talk about that at the time."

For heaven's sake, screamed3 the woman. "Tell me who that was from and what that said."

Okay, said the husband. "They were from your dress shop and laundry, saying that you owe4 them $7,400."

Notes:

1. inquire 詢問，查詢

2. perfumed 有香水味的

3. scream 尖叫

4. owe 欠，拖欠

神秘的信

“我不想過分好奇地打聽你的事情”，妻子對她的丈夫說?！暗怯屑乱呀?jīng)困擾我好幾天了?！?

“是嗎？”丈夫說，“說來聽聽?！?

“上星期五你收到了兩封信”，妻子說，“信是灑了香水的。是女孩的字跡。我見你打開信，你突然冒出一身冷汗，臉變得煞白，手也顫抖著……天哪，是誰寫的信？信上都說了些什么？”

“噢，是這事兒?！闭煞蛘f，“我決定我們倆最好不要談論這件事。”

“天哪！”那女人尖叫起來，“告訴我誰寫的，都寫了些什么?！?

“好吧?！闭煞蛘f?！笆菑哪愕姆b店和干洗店寄來的，說你欠他們7400美元?！?

Useful link:

干洗劑發(fā)明人喬利·貝朗年輕時給一貴夫人當小雜工。一天夜里，夫人要求他熨她的衣服，第二天急用。因為實在太困了，喬利不小心將煤油滴在了貴夫人的衣服上。她堅決要求喬利賠償，給她白打一年工！他答應給貴夫人白打一年工，也得到了那件衣服。他將衣服掛在床前以警示自己別再犯錯。一天，他發(fā)現(xiàn)衣服被煤油浸過的地方不但沒臟，原來的污漬也不見了。經(jīng)過反復試驗，喬利在煤油里加了一些化學原料，終于研制出了干洗劑。