Why did Harry decide to give up his little game?
为什么哈利决定放弃他的小游戏？
My cousin, Harry,
我的表弟，哈利,
keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study.
在他的书房里永久陈列着一个形状奇特的大瓶子.
Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green,
尽管瓶子被染成微妙的绿色阴影,
an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance.
一个细心的访客很快就会注意到它充满了看起来像厚厚的灰色物质。
If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud.
如果你问哈利瓶子里装的是什么，他会告诉你瓶子里装的是香泥。
If you expressed doubt or surprise,
如果你表示怀疑或惊讶,
he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin.
他会立即邀请你闻到它，然后擦一些到你的皮肤。
The brief experiment would dispel any further doubts she might have.
这个简短的实验将消除她可能产生的任何进一步的怀疑。
The bottle really does contain perfumed mud.
瓶子里确实含有香料泥.
How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating.
哈利是如何拥有这种古怪的东西的，这是一个有趣的故事，他喜欢与之相关。
Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
此外，这瓶酒的收购治愈了他多年来一直养成的坏习惯。
Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist.
哈利曾经认为进入昂贵的化妆品商店并对不存在的商品提出令人发指的要求是一个很好的笑话。
He would invent fanciful names on the spot.
他会当场发明一些天马行空的名字.
On entering a shop,
进入商店时,
he would ask for a new perfume called 'Scented Shadow' or for 'insoluble bath cubes'.
他会要求一种名为"香味阴影"或"不溶性沐浴立方体"的新香水。
If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out.
如果一个店员告诉他她没有听说过，他会假装相当沮丧。
He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock
他喜欢被告知他的一个想象中的产品暂时缺货
and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did.
他会忠实地承诺在未来的某个日期再次打电话，但当然他从未这样做过。
How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
哈利如何设法在这些表演中保持直面，这对我来说是相当超出的。
Harry does not need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud.
哈利不需要被提示解释他是如何买到他珍贵的一瓶泥的。
One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'.
有一天，他去了伦敦的一家专卖店，要了"Myrolite"。
The shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable.
店员看起来很困惑，哈利重复了这个词，慢慢地强调每个音节。
When the woman shook her head in bewilderment,
当女人迷惑不解地摇了摇头,
Harry went on to explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles.
哈利接着解释说，"myrolite"是一种坚硬的琥珀状物质，可以用来去除雀斑。
This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf.
这个解释显然传达了一些东西给一个又一个货架搜索的女人。
She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry's requirements.
她制作了各种奇怪的混合物，但没有一个符合哈利的要求。
When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him.
当哈利表现出轻微的恼怒时，助理答应给他点一些。
Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.
哈利被他的成功所陶醉，然后要了香泥。
He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment.
他期望助理看着他茫然惊讶。
However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman's eyes immediately lit up
然而，轮到他惊讶了，因为女人的眼睛立刻亮了起来
and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect.
她拿了几个瓶子，放在柜台上让哈利检查。
For once, Harry had to admit defeat.
这一次，哈利不得不承认失败。
He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price.
他拿起似乎是最小的瓶子，谨慎地问价格。
He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm.
他很高兴只拿了二十磅的钱就跑掉了，他匆匆忙忙地退了一步，把珍贵的瓶子抓在胳膊下。
From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive.
从那时起，哈利决定他发明的这个小游戏可能会被证明是昂贵的。
The curious bottle which now adorns the bookcase in his study was his first and last purchase of rare cosmetics.
现在装饰在他书房书柜的好奇瓶子是他第一次也是最后一次购买稀有化妆品。
