ARE YOU RICH? 您是有钱人吗？

They huddled inside the storm door — two children in ragged outgrown coats.

“Any old papers, lady?”

I was busy. I wanted to say no — until I looked down at their feet, thin little sandals, sopped with sleet.

“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”

There was no conversation. Their soggy sandals left marks upon the hearthstone. I served them cocoa and toast with jam to fortify against the chill outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started again on my household budget.

The silence in the front room struck through to me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady...are you rich?”

“Am I rich? Mercy, no!” I looked at my shabby slipcovers .

The girl put her cup back in its saucer carefully.

“Your cups match your saucers.”

Her voice was old, with a hunger that was not of the stomach. They left then, holding their bundles of papers against the wind. They hadn't said thank you. They didn't need to. They had done more than that. Plain blue pottery cups and saucers, but they matched.

I tested the potatoes and stirred the gravy . Potatoes and brown gravy, a roof over our heads, my man with a good steady job — these things matched, too.

I moved the chairs back from the fire and tidied the living room. The muddy prints of small sandals were still wet upon my hearth. I let them be. I want them there in case I ever forget again how very rich I am.

两个孩子突然闯进外门来，他俩都穿着破烂的、比他们身体大一号的外套。

“有旧报纸吗，夫人？”

我当时很忙，我想说没有——我低头看了看他俩的脚，瘦小的鞋被雨雪浸得都湿透了。

“进来吧，我给你们沏杯热可可。”

他俩没吭气，湿透的凉鞋在炉边踩下了脚印。我给他们拿来可可和果酱吐司，也好驱驱寒。然后我回到厨房，又开始算起了家庭开销。

前厅的沉默让我很好奇，我进去一看，只见小女孩手里举着空杯子，正往杯里看。小男孩语气平稳地问我：“夫人……您是有钱人吗？”

“我有钱？你饶了我吧，才不是呢！”我看着我那破旧的沙发套说。

小女孩小心地把杯子放回杯托上。

“您家的杯子和杯托是配套的。”

她声音有些老气，听得出来她心里渴望着什么，但不是食物。后来他们就离开了，顶着风抱着成捆儿的报纸走的。他们没跟我说谢谢。他们不需要跟我道谢。他们做的远远超过道谢。虽然是再普通不过的蓝色陶制茶杯和杯托，可是两样东西是配套的。

我看了看锅里的土豆，搅了搅卤汁。土豆配棕色卤汁、我们头顶有屋顶遮风挡雨、我丈夫有个好工作且工作稳定——这些也都是配套的。

我把椅子从炉火边搬回去放好，整理了客厅。小凉鞋在炉边踩下的泥泞脚印还没有干。我没去擦。就留它们在那儿吧，省得我再忘记自己多么富有。

-huddle [ˈhʌdl] v. 蜷缩；草率地行事

-sop [sɒp] v. 蘸

-fortify [ˈfɔːtɪfaɪ] v. 增强体力

-slipcover [ˈslɪpkʌvə] n. 沙发套

-gravy [ˈɡreɪvɪ] n. 肉汁

美国作家海伦·凯勒(Helen Keller，1880—1968)在《假如给我三天光明》(Three Days to See )一文中写道：“It is human, perhaps, to appreciate little that which we have and to long for that which we have not.”(也许人就是这样,有了东西不知道欣赏,没有的东西又一味追求。)