饮茶一直被英国人看作是一种悠闲和舒适的享受.英国人喝茶的时间比较固定,不像我们那样随时随地都可以喝茶.他们习惯于三餐两茶,每天工作、学习一段时间后,喜欢停下来休息一刻钟左右,喝杯茶,吃些点心,补充体力.这段时间叫做tea break(茶休):an intermission from work,usually in the middle of the morning or afternoon, for a cup oftea, a snack, etc.茶休有morningtea(上午茶)和afternoon tea(下午茶)之分:上午茶一般在十点半左右;下午茶一般在下午四五点钟.

茶休的习惯源于英国18世纪的一位贝德芙公爵夫人安娜.她每天在午餐和晚餐之间总会感到有点饥饿,于是就在每天下午四点到五点之间邀请三五位知心好友,来喝点茶吃点点心.再后来就演变为"上下午工间或课间吃茶点的休息时间:.这种茶休在英国可是雷打不动的小憩时间.

例句:Our bloody-minded foreman wouldn't give us a tea break.

我们残忍的工头不给我们工间茶休的时间.
 

这是18世纪法国哲学家孟德斯鸠的一句名言.有一次他听说圣马力诺发生了一场骚乱,就用了a storm ina tea cup这个比喻来形容整个事件.圣马力诺是欧洲最小的共和国,人口稀少,因此孟德斯鸠认为那里的骚乱对整个欧洲局势无关紧要.

If someone exaggerates a problem or makes a small problem seem far greater than it really is, then they aremaking a storm in a tea cup.

顾名思义,"茶杯里的风暴"自然算不得什么大事,所以就被用来表示"小题大做,大惊小怪"的意思.

例句:That coupleoften quarrel, but it is a storm in a tea cup.

那对夫妻经常吵架,没什么大惊小怪的.

Storm in ateacup是大惊小怪的英式英语表达,美式英语的说法是tempest in a teapot.此外,大惊小怪相似的说法还有:astorm in a cream-bowl,a tempest in a glass ofwater,a storm in a hand-washbasin.
 

英国人对茶情有独钟,无论什么饮品都代替不了茶在他们心中的位置.因此somebody's cup oftea指的就是to be something that one prefers or desires对某人胃口的东西,使某人感兴趣的东西.

例句:Football/Opera/Chemistryis not his cup of tea.

足球/歌剧/化学可不是他的爱好.

This spy novel is just my cup of tea.

这本侦探小说正对我的胃口.
 

在茶话会、舞会或各种社交场合,总有些喜欢追逐漂亮女子并对她们大献殷勤的家伙.这类花花公子就被称为teahounds 爱交际的男子.

例句:John is much mature now, I think he's no longer a tea hound.

约翰现在成熟多了,我想他不再是爱交际的花花公子了.
 

小美女的话我们就可以说, “She’s pretty.” 但是大美女的话就可以说 “She’s gorgeous.”

但是 gorgeous 可不限于美女专用喔！老美也常会用 gorgeous 来形容美男的。

例如:

Her brother is gorgeous. We all like him. (她的哥哥长得很好看, 我们都很喜欢他。)

　　你快点儿，我们该迟到了。
　　If you don't hurry, we'll be late. / Hurry up or we'll be late.

　　知道了，知道了。
　　Okay, Okay.

　　快点儿，上学该迟到了。
　　Hurry or you'll be late for school.

　　现在几点?
　　What time is it?

　　都已经8点了!
　　It's already 8:00. / It's 8:00 already.

　　我晚了!
　　I'm late!

　　快点儿吧!
　　Hurry up!

　　我得赶紧走!
　　I have to rush!
　　I have to hurry (up)!
　　I have to get going!
　　I have to get moving.

　　我走了。
　　I'm leaving.
　　I'm taking off now.

　　（改编自考试吧）

　　一个适当的礼物，如果送的方法不对，也可能让你惹上麻烦。了解不同文化的送礼礼节是很重要的。在下面的对话里，一个初来中国的外国朋友在送礼上就碰到了点"小麻烦。

　　A: This is the first time I've been in China, and everything here fascinated me. But there is something I can never figure out!

　　B: What's wrong? Did anything puzzle you, speak it up and see if I can help you out.

　　A: Good! You turn up so timely! I am just expecting some good explanation. You know the other day one of my Chinese friends was celebrating his birthday so I asked him what he would like for a birthday present. Do you know what he said? "No, no! Don't give me anything. Don't be polite!" can you believe it?

　　B: Actually, I can well believe it. It's a Chinese way of expressing his being humble and reserved. But most often the speaker doesn't really mean refusal unless he firmly insists. Chinese people don't easily accept the given things only when he has contributed to the giver or there is an intimacy. And they don't want their friends "pofei" which means to spend money.

　　A: What did he mean by refusing to accept a present from me then?

　　B: I don't think he was actually refusing to accept a present from you. It was just his way of being "polite". He didn't mean to be rude and certainly he didn't mean to offend you.

　　A: Well, how do you like that? And what was I supposed to do or say in such a situation?

　　B: You should first understand that Chinese people are not straightforward in some situation. In such a situation I suggest you just insist, and if your friend is an elderly gentleman, you probably have to insist several times, but even then I doubt if he will ever give you a direct answer. Or you can buy him a gift directly without asking him. I think he will be satisfied with whatever you buy him. Actually what counts is your good intention.

　　A: So you mean buying a gift is a good choice than not, right?

　　B: I think so.

　　A: Thank you.

　　Notes:

　　1. figure out. A说中国的一切都让她感到fascinated, 感到着迷，唯独有一件事情他想不通，他说But there is something I can never figure out!

　　Figure out, 想明白，弄清楚。它的英文解释是这样的：find the solution to (a problem or question) or understand the meaning of

　　我们来看更多的例句：

　　e.g: It didn't take the children long to figure out the correct answer.
　　孩子们没有花很多时间就算出了正确的答案。

　　2. help you out. B很关切地询问了对方碰上什么解不开了困惑了，要对方说出来看看我能不能帮你。Speak it up and see if I can help you out.

　　Help sb out 是帮助解决难题(帮助摆脱困境,帮助完成,救出)也就是help sb in a particular situation of need.

　　e.g: He refused to accept help out of a false sense of pride.
　　他由于死要面子而不肯接受帮助。　

　　3. A 紧接着说了，You turn up so timely. 太好了，你简直出现得太及时了。我正想找人给我好好解释一下呢。I am just expecting some good explanation.

　　4. It's a Chinese way of expressing his being humble and reserved. B听完了让A大惑不解的问题之后，劝他不要放在心上，因为这只是中国式的客气和矜持。通常情况下，一个人说"不要送礼，千万别送礼"并不是真的表示拒绝，除非他坚持不要，firmly insist not taking anything,

　　中国人一般给人帮过忙或者是关系亲密的朋友之间才接受馈赠，unless he has contributed to the giver or there's an intimacy. 他们不想让朋友们破费，也就是spend money on buying the gift. 花钱。Humble 谦卑的，谦恭的reserved 文静，矜持，保守的。这是形容人的性格，它的字面意思是预定的，预留的。预定座位是reserve a seat.

　　5. A的疑惑澄清了，他问道what was I supposed to do or say in such a situation. 那么碰上这种情况我该怎么做呢？be supposed to do something是：该怎么做

　　e.g: I'm supposed to go on a diet.
　　我应该节食。

　　6. Actually what counts is your good intention. B跟A说， You should first understand that Chinese people are not straightforward in some situation. 首先要明白的是中国人在有些情况下并不是很直接的，在这种情况下你必须一再坚持，just insist，如果对方是为老先生，你还得多次坚持，you probably would have to insist several times. 或者直接买好礼物而不必问他，朋友们肯定会高兴的，毕竟重要的是你的一份心意。到了我们要讲的这句话，Actually what counts is your good intention. Count 在这里可不是计算或者数数的意思，我们再来看一句话：

　　e.g: Knowledge without common sense counts for little.
　　光有学问而无常识，则这种学问无甚价值。

　　看来，文化的差异真不可以小看，不知道有没有收听我们节目的外国朋友们碰到过和对话中这位朋友一样的困惑。听说在俄罗斯，送礼是突发其想。俄罗斯人也喜欢礼尚往来，通常礼物都是小巧而不贵的，对于外国人，俄罗斯人特别喜欢得到在自己国家没有办法得到而实用的东西，他们会喜欢马铃薯削皮器，保鲜膜和可密封的塑料袋。由于礼物通常小巧而且送礼随意，礼物通常也没有包装。而在日本，他们会特别注重包装，还会根据复杂的习俗来选择包装纸的颜色和种类，习俗甚至会指示包装纸图案的方向。接受礼物也要以双手奉上，代表尊敬和谦卑。

　　如果你在各地旅行，别让送礼的习俗绊倒你，找出你即将拜访国家的送礼的相关习俗，用正确的方法送合适的礼物，对巩固新的友谊很有帮助！

　　（来源：南方网）
 

　　Can I get a seat for the D207 on Wednesday?

　　我想买一张周三的D207的车票。

　　I want to reserve a sleeper to Shanghai.

　　我想订一张去上海的卧铺。

　　I missed the train. Could you please refund this ticket for me?

　　我没有赶上火车。可以帮我把票退了吗？

　　Where am I supposed to pay the excess train fare?

　　我应该去哪儿补票呢？

He is bouncy.
"他精力充沛"美国人说："He is bouncy."而不说"He is energetic "，牢记一些日常对话中的活句式是你一把必备的钥匙。 如：久仰，"I get mind of you " 比 "I heard a lot about you." 轻松得多。

"Did you get lost ?"
有人开会迟到了，你若对他说 "You are late ."，听起来象是废话，若说"Did you get lost ?"，则更能让他歉然，可别说成"Get lost!"那可是让人滚蛋的意思。

Do you have the time?
别人征求你的意见，问能否开窗户等，你要说"You can do that ."就有点土了，用一句"Do you have the time? "实际上，问他人的姓名，地址都可以这么用："May I have you name?"要比"What's your name ? "礼貌得多，不过警察例外。

I would rather not say
别人问你不愿公开的问题，切勿用"It's my secret ,don't ask such a personal question ."回答，一来显得你没有个性，二来也让对方。你可以说"I would rather not say ."(还是别说了吧！)。

"It's on the tip of my tongue."
有时候，你想说什么，可说是想不起来，你可以说"Well ...""Let me see" "Just a moment "或"It's on the tip of my tongue."等，想比之下，最后一个句型是最地道的。

While I remember...
交谈时，你可能会转换话题，不要只说"By the way "，实际上，"To change the subject" "Before I forget" "While I remember" "Mind you "都是既地道又受欢迎的表达。

I got it
遇到你不懂的问题时可别不懂装懂，"I know"可能是中国人用得最多，而美国人最不能接受的一句话。当一美国教师向你解释某个问题时，你"I know"可能是中国人用得最多，而美国人最不能接受这一句话。当一美国教师向你解释某个问题时，你如果连说两遍"I know"，我
敢保证，他不会再跟你说什么了。用"I see"或"I got it "就顺耳得多，要是不懂就说"I'm not clear about it ."不过如果你会说"It's past my understanding"或"It's beyond me ."你的教师定会惊讶不已的。

无限扩展：
1. I'm supposed to go on a diet/get a raise. 我应该节食/涨工资。
2. The meeting was scheduled for two hours, but it is not over yet. 会议设定了两个小时，不过现在还没有结束。
3. Would you care to see it/ sit down for a while? 你要不要看/坐一会呢？
4. Do you mind if I take tomorrow off? 你介意我明天请假吗？
5. I'm afraid that it's not going to work out. 我恐怕这事不会成的。
6. Is everything under control? 一切都在掌握之中吗？
7. It really depends on who is in charge. 那纯粹要看谁负责了。
8. It involves a lot of hard work. 那需要很多的辛勤工作。
9. That might be in your favor. 那可能对你有利。

　　Could you do me a favor? My computer suffered from computer virus.

　　能帮帮我吗？我电脑中病毒了。

　　Oh no, my computer halted again. Could you lend me a hand?

　　天哪，电脑又死机了。能帮我处理一下吗？

　　Excuse me. Can you help me to clear this paper jam?

　　劳驾，帮我弄一下打印机好吗？

　　I’m calling for the air-conditioner problems. It doesn’t work anymore. And it’s getting hot in the office.

　　我们的空调好像坏了，我正是为此打来的。办公室已经越来越热了。

　　Acne/Spot 青春痘用品

　　Active 赋活用

　　After sun 日晒后用品

　　Alcohol-free 无酒精

　　Anti- 抗、防

　　Anti-wrinkle 抗老防皱

　　Balancing 平衡酸碱

　　Clean-/Purify- 清洁用

　　Combination 混合性皮肤

　　Dry 干性皮肤

　　Essence 精华液

　　Facial 脸部用

　　Fast/Quick dry 快干

　　Firm 紧肤

　　Foam 泡沫

　　Gentle 温和的

　　Hydra- 保湿用

　　Long lasting 持久性

　　Milk 乳

　　Mult- 多元

　　Normal 中性皮肤

　　Nutritious 滋养

　　Oil-control 抑制油脂

　　Oily 油性皮肤

　　Pack 剥撕式面膜

　　Peeling 敷面剥落式面膜
　　Remover 去除、卸妆

　　Repair 修护

　　Revitalite 活化

　　Scrub 磨砂式去角质

　　Sensitive 敏感性皮肤

　　Solvent 溶解

　　Sun block 防晒用

　　Toning lotion 化妆水

　　Trentment 修护

　　Wash 洗

　　Waterproof 防水

　　cosmetic applicators/accessories 工具

　　cosmetic brush, face brush 粉刷

　　powder puffs 粉扑

　　sponge puffs 海绵扑

　　brow brush 眉刷

　　lash curler 睫毛夹

　　eye shadow brush/shadow applicator 眼影刷

　　lip brush 口红刷

　　blush brush 胭脂扫

　　pencil sharpener 转笔刀

　　electric shaver-for women 电动剃毛器

　　electric lash curler 电动睫毛卷

　　brow template 描眉卡

　　facial tissue 纸巾

　　oil-Absorbing Sheets 吸油纸

　　cotton pads 化装棉

　　Q-tips 棉签

　　(Souce: abcxp)

《白领英语900句》：在与上司谈论加薪问题时，你肯定希望老板能心平气和地听取你要加薪的理由，因此你必须注意自己的口气与口吻，那么反过来，当他陈述他的理由时，你也要心平气和地倾听，然后再寻找突破口，协调一致。切记不要一时心急，就采用下通牒、恐吓或别的强迫方式令对方就范，这样只会适得其反。

I'm pleased that you've added new responsibilities to my job and I appreciate the opportunity.（我非常高兴你给我新的工作职责，谢谢你给我这样的机会。）

《白领英语900句》：随着你的工作范围扩大和职责的加重，说明你将为公司节省或赚得更多利润，这也可作为加薪的理由。而与此同时强调自己新的技能和职责设法提高本身的技能也是使薪酬得以提高的方法之一。要让上司知道，你有诚意进修，借以显示你胸怀大志，这会给上司留下一个好印象。接受进修十分重要，而通常公司也乐意支付所需的费用。例如修读有关能提升职业技能的课程并取得相应文凭，可能使你获得可观的加薪。
I’m supposed to get a raise. （我应该涨工资。）

《白领英语900句》：“Raise”在这里就有加薪的意思。例如：to raise salaries（提高工资）to raise the rent（提高租金）相同的表达有：“I need a raise. 或者Could you give me a raise?
 
无限扩展：
申请加薪的时候你可以和老板面谈当面讨论你的加薪要求。你也可以用一封信简单的信件讲述要求并预约面谈时间。请看一篇例文：
I'm pleased that you've added new responsibilities to my job and I appreciate the opportunity. I would like to further discuss my new responsibilities and the possibility of a pay raise for performing them well.
Please let me know if you have some time available this week.
 
实战对话：
A: Mr. Brown, I would like to discuss something with you.
B: What can I do for you?
A: Well I’ve been working here for two years and I’m supposed to get a raise.
B: I understand .When was your last time you got a raise ?
A: Fifteen months ago.
B: Ok, I’ll think about it .
A: I appreciate your help.

Henceforth will l shed only tears of sweat, for those of sadness or remorse or frustration are of no value in the market place whilst each smile can be exchanged for gold and each kind word, spoken from my heart, can build a castle.

Never will l allow myself to become so important, so wise, so dignified, so powerful, that I forget how to laugh at myself and my world. In this matter I will always remain as a child, for only as a cl1ild am I given the ability to look up to others; and so long as I look up to another I will never grow too long for my cot.

And so long as I can laugh never will I be poor. This, then, is one of nature's greatest gifts, and l will waste it no more. Only with laughter and happiness can l truly become a success. Only with laughter and happiness can I enjoy the fruits of my labor. Were it not so, far better would it be to fail, for happiness is the wine that sharpens the taste of the meal. To enjoy success I must have happiness, and laughter will be the maiden who serves me.

I will be happy.

I will be successful.

Some things are hard to remember. Others are hard to forget—especially things that are traumatic. But kids, it turns out, are better than adults at forgetting the bad stuff. Now scientists think they know why. According to an animal study in the September 4th issue of the journal Science, the brains of adults erect physical barriers that keep painful memories intact.

As adults, events that emotionally disturb us tend to get seared into our brains. And those memories can resurface, causing anxiety, fear and even post-traumatic stress disorder. But young brains are much more resilient—and can even erase unpleasant memories.

To get a better handle on this youthful forgetting, scientists studied the brains of young and old rats. They found that in adult brains, a physical net forms around certain cells in the amygdala, a structure associated with emotional memories. Adults that had been trained to associate a mild foot shock with a specific sound would flinch when they just heard the sound. But using a drug to dissolve this barrier restored the older rats’ ability to extinguish fearful memories. So rats that got the net-busting treatment stayed calm when they heard the sound.

One of the few instances where a net loss is a real gain.

—Karen Hopkin
 

Every woman should know how she feels about having kids...
每个女人都应该知道有了孩子会有什么感受……

Every woman should know how to quit a job, break up with a lover, and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...
每个女人都应该知道如何辞去一份工作，如何与一位恋人分手，如何与一位朋友发生冲突而 不致断送友情……

Every woman should know when to try harder and when to walk away...
每个女人都应该知道何时应再努一把力，何时应抽身而去……

Every woman should know how to have a good time at a party she’d never choose to attend...
每个女人都应该知道如何在一个自己绝不会主动参加的晚会上过得愉快……

Every woman should know how to ask for what she wants in a way that makes it most likely she’ll get it...
每个女人都应该知道如何巧妙地达到目的，得到自己想要的……

Every woman should know that she can’t change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...
每个女人都应该知道她无法改变她小腿的长度，她臀部的宽度，和她父母的本性……

Every woman should know that her childhood may not have been perfect... but it’s over...
每个女人都应该知道她的童年也许并不完美……但那已成为往事……

Every woman should know what she would and wouldn’t do for love or more...
每个女人都应该知道为了爱，她该做什么，不该做什么……

Every woman should know how to live alone, even if she doesn’t like it...
每个女人都应该知道如何独处，尽管她并不喜欢那样……

Every woman should know whom she can trust, whom she can’t, and why she shouldn’t take it personally...
每个女人都应该知道谁可以信任，谁不可信任，又为何不该从个人角度去判断……

Every woman should know where to go... be it to her best friend’s kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...
每个女人都应该知道该去哪里 ??是去她最好朋友家里的厨房，还是去树林中那迷人的小木屋 ??当她的心灵需要抚慰的时候……

Every woman should know what she can and can’t accomplish in a day... a month... and a year...
每个女人都应该知道一天内、一月里、一年中她能做成什么，又无法做成什么……

　　您怎么称呼？

　　May I have your name please?

　　能告诉我您的名字吗？

　　I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name.

　　不好意思，我没记住你您的名字。（言下之意，请把名字再告诉我一遍。）

　　Are you Mr. White. Hi I’m Kiele from ABC Company. Let me introduce a friend of mine.

　　您是怀特先生吗？我是ABC公司的kiele，请允许我为您介绍我的一个朋友。

在预计她回来的星期六晚上，我们来到这里和他在一起，于是在以后的一年中他就能够平安度过。19年来，每年的六月，我们都这么做。第一年，我们才27岁。”

When I was young, I went looking for gold in California. I never found enough to make me rich. But I did discover a beautiful part of the country. It was called “the Stanislau.” The Stanislau was like Heaven on Earth. It had bright green hills and deep forests where soft winds touched the trees. 　

Other men, also looking for gold, had reached the Stanislau hills of California many years before I did. They had built a town in the valley with sidewalks and stores, banks and schools. They had also built pretty little houses for their families.　

At first, they found a lot of gold in the Stanislau hills. But their good luck did not last. After a few years, the gold disappeared. By the time I reached the Stanislau, all the people were gone, too.

Grass now grew in the streets. And the little houses were covered by wild rose bushes. Only the sound of insects filled the air as I walked through the empty town that summer day so long ago. Then, I realized I was not alone after all.　

A man was smiling at me as he stood in front of one of the little houses. This house was not covered by wild rose bushes. A nice little garden in front of the house was full of blue and yellow flowers. White curtains hung from the windows and floated in the soft summer wind.

Still smiling, the man opened the door of his house and motioned to me. I went inside and could not believe my eyes. I had been living for weeks in rough mining camps with other gold miners. We slept on the hard ground, ate canned beans from cold metal plates and spent our days in the difficult search for gold.

Here in this little house, my spirit seemed to come to life again.

I saw a bright rug on the shining wooden floor. Pictures hung all around the room. And on little tables there were seashells, books and china vases full of flowers. A woman had made this house into a home.

The pleasure I felt in my heart must have shown on my face. The man read my thoughts. “Yes,” he smiled, “it is all her work. Everything in this room has felt the touch of her hand.”　　

One of the pictures on the wall was not hanging straight. He noticed it and went to fix it. He stepped back several times to make sure the picture was really straight. Then he gave it a gentle touch with his hand.

“She always does that,” he explained to me. “It is like the finishing pat a mother gives her child’s hair after she has brushed it. I have seen her fix all these things so often that I can do it just the way she does. I don’t know why I do it. I just do it.”　

As he talked, I realized there was something in this room that he wanted me to discover. I looked around. When my eyes reached a corner of the room near the fireplace, he broke into a happy laugh and rubbed his hands together.

“That’s it!” he cried out. “You have found it! I knew you would. It is her picture. I went to a little black shelf that held a small picture of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. There was a sweetness and softness in the woman’s expression that I had never seen before.

The man took the picture from my hands and stared at it. “She was nineteen on her last birthday. That was the day we were married. When you see her…oh, just wait until you meet her!”　

“Where is she now?” I asked.　

“Oh, she is away,” the man sighed, putting the picture back on the little black shelf. “She went to visit her parents. They live forty or fifty miles from here. She has been gone two weeks today.”　

“When will she be back?” I asked. “Well, this is Wednesday,” he said slowly. “She will be back on Saturday, in the evening.”　

I felt a sharp sense of regret. “I am sorry, because I will be gone by then,” I said. 　

“Gone? No! Why should you go? Don’t go. She will be so sorry. You see, she likes to have people come and stay with us.”　　

“No, I really must leave,” I said firmly.　

He picked up her picture and held it before my eyes. “Here,” he said. “Now you tell her to her face that you could have stayed to meet her and you would not.”　

Something made me change my mind as I looked at the picture for a second time. I decided to stay. 　

The man told me his name was Henry.　

That night, Henry and I talked about many different things, but mainly about her. The next day passed quietly. 　

Thursday evening we had a visitor. He was a big, grey-haired miner named Tom. “I just came for a few minutes to ask when she is coming home,” he explained. “Is there any news?”　

“Oh yes,” the man replied. “I got a letter. Would you like to hear it? He took a yellowed letter out of his shirt pocket and read it to us. It was full of loving messages to him and to other people – their close friends and neighbors. When the man finished reading it, he looked at his friend. “Oh no, you are doing it again, Tom! You always cry when I read a letter from her. I’m going to tell her this time!”　

“No, you must not do that, Henry,” the grey-haired miner said. “I am getting old. And any little sorrow makes me cry. I really was hoping she would be here tonight.”　

The next day, Friday, another old miner came to visit. He asked to hear the letter. The message in it made him cry, too. “We all miss her so much,” he said. Saturday finally came. I found I was looking at my watch very often. Henry noticed this. “You don’t think something has happened to her, do you?” he asked me. 　

I smiled and said that I was sure she was just fine. But he did not seem satisfied.

I was glad to see his two friends, Tom and Joe, coming down the road as the sun began to set. The old miners were carrying guitars. They also brought flowers and a bottle of whiskey. They put the flowers in vases and began to play some fast and lively songs on their guitars.　

Henry’s friends kept giving him glasses of whiskey, which they made him drink. When I reached for one of the two glasses left on the table, Tom stopped my arm. “Drop that glass and take the other one!” he whispered. He gave the remaining glass of whiskey to Henry just as the clock began to strike midnight.

Henry emptied the glass. His face grew whiter and whiter. “Boys,” he said, “I am feeling sick. I want to lie down.”　

Henry was asleep almost before the words were out of his mouth. 　

In a moment, his two friends had picked him up and carried him into the bedroom. They closed the door and came back. They seemed to be getting ready to leave. So I said, “Please don’t go gentlemen. She will not know me. I am a stranger to her.”　　

They looked at each other. “His wife has been dead for nineteen years,” Tom said.　

“Dead?” I whispered.　

“Dead or worse,” he said.　

“She went to see her parents about six months after she got married. On her way back, on a Saturday evening in June, when she was almost here, the Indians captured her. No one ever saw her again. Henry lost his mind. He thinks she is still alive. When June comes, he thinks she has gone on her trip to see her parents. Then he begins to wait for her to come back. He gets out that old letter. And we come around to visit so he can read it to us. 　

“On the Saturday night she is supposed to come home, we come here to be with him. We put a sleeping drug in his drink so he will sleep through the night. Then he is all right for another year.”　

Joe picked up his hat and his guitar. “We have done this every June for nineteen years,” he said. “The first year there were twenty-seven of us. Now just the two of us are left.” He opened the door of the pretty little house. And the two old men disappeared into the darkness of the Stanislau.