Our village carpenter (木匠) , John, came one day and made a dining table for my wife. He made it just the right size for the space between the two windows. When I got home that evening, John was drinking a cup of tea and writing out his bill for the job. My wife said to me quietly,“That’s his ninth cup of tea today. ”But she said, in a loud voice,“It’s a beautiful table, dear, isn’t it？” “I’ll decide about that when I see the bill. ”I said. John laughed and gave me his bill for the work. I read: One dining table 10 November, 1998 Cost of wood $17. 00 Paint $1. 50 Work, 8 hours ( $1 an hour ) $8. 00 Total $36. 50 When I was looking at the bill, John said, “It’s been a nice day, hasn’t it？Quite sunny. ” “Yes. ”I said. “ I’m glad it’s only the tenth of November. ” “Me, too. ”said John. “You wait — it’ll be a lot colder by the end of the month. ” “Yes,colder — and more expensive! A dining table will be $20 more expensive on November 30, won’t it, John？” John looked hard at me for half a minute. Was there a little smile in his two blue eyes？I gave his bill back to him. “If there isn’t too much trouble, John,” I said,“please add it up again. You can forget the date…” I paid him $26. 50 and he was happy to get it. 小题1:Why did John talk about the weather when the writer was looking at the bill？
|