“Do you think we should buy a terminal of the lottery with an eighty-five? Tomorrow is the eighty-fifth day.”

“你看我们该去买张末尾是八五的彩票吗?明儿是第八十五天。”

“We can do that,” the boy said. “But what about the eighty-seven of your great record?”

“这样做行啊，”孩子说。“不过你上次创纪录的是八十七天，这怎么说?”

“It could not happen twice. Do you think you can find an eighty-five?”

“这种事儿不会再发生。你看能弄到一张末尾是八五的吗?”

“I can order one.”

“我可以去订一张。”

“One sheet. That’s two dollars and a half. Who can we borrow that from?”

“订一张。这要两块半。我们向谁去借这笔钱呢?”

“That’s easy. I can always borrow two dollars and a half.”

“这个容易。我总能借到两块半的。”

“I think perhaps I can too. But I try not to borrow. First you borrow. Then you beg.”

“我看没准儿我也借得到。不过我不想借钱。第一步是借钱。下一步就要讨饭啰。”

“Keep warm old man,“ the boy said. “Remember we are in September.”

“穿得暖和点，老大爷，”孩子说。“别忘了，我们这是在九月里。”

“The month when the great fish come,” the old man said. “Anyone can be a fisherman in May.”

“正是大鱼露面的月份，”老人说。“在五月里，人人都能当个好渔夫的。”

“I go now for the sardines,” the boy said.

“我现在去捞沙丁鱼，”孩子说。

When the boy came back the old man was asleep in the chair and the sun was down.

等孩子回来的时候，老人在椅子上熟睡着，太阳已经下去了。

The boy took the old army blanket off the bed and spread it over the back of the chair and over the old man’s shoulders.

孩子从床上捡起一条旧军毯，铺在椅背上，盖住了老人的双肩。

They were strange shoulders, still powerful although very old, and the neck was still strong too and the creases did not show so much when the old man was asleep and his head fallen forward.

这两个肩膀挺怪，人非常老迈了，肩膀却依然很强健，脖子也依然很壮实，而且当老人睡着了，脑袋向前耷拉着的时候，皱纹也不大明显了。

His shirt had been patched so many times that it was like the sail and the patches were faded to many different shades by the sun.

他的衬衫上不知打了多少次补丁，弄得像他那张帆一样，这些补丁被阳光晒得褪成了许多深浅不同的颜色。

The old man’s head was very old though and with his eyes closed there was no life in his face.

老人的头非常苍老，眼睛闭上了，脸上就一点生气也没有。

The newspaper lay across his knees and the weight of his arm held it there in the evening breeze. He was barefooted.

报纸摊在他膝盖上，在晚风中，靠他一条胳臂压着才没被吹走。他光着脚。

The boy left him there and when he came back the old man was still asleep.

孩子撇下老人走了，等他回来时，老人还是熟睡着。

“Wake up old man,” the boy said and put his hand on one of the old man’s knees.

“醒来吧，老大爷，”孩子说，一手搭上老人的膝盖。

The old man opened his eyes and for a moment he was coming back from a long way away. Then he smiled.

老人张开眼睛，他的神志一时仿佛正在从老远的地方回来。随后他微笑了。