中英文雙語短篇小說
Ⅰ 學英語，高分求推薦一本英文小說（最好雙語），內容是現代的，貼近生活的，要求有大量對話和生活情境。。
別看劇本，劇本太崩潰了，現在上課天天學drama的劇本，演起來好看但是讀的話。。。蠟燭
我現在加拿大高三，所以大概和你的水平差不多，你是想要娛樂性質比較強的還是比較專業的？
推薦：
哈利波特。簡單易懂，逐步漸進。前面幾本很輕松，後面的越來越難。有中文有英文，而且看完書之後再去看電影就能聽懂啦，英式發音必選……而且好買，大書店裡應該都有……
指環王。經典之作，理由同上。
暮光之城。這個書和電影我都沒有覺得好看。hp我中英文加起來看過不下二十遍，指環王英文不下五遍，但是暮光一遍就夠了……好處是，美式英語，語言比較貼近生活。
美劇絕望的主婦，速度很慢，讀音標准，而且很規范。在國內新東方的老師經常用這個做教材……大概是跟我的生活離得太遠了覺得沒意思，不過建議可以試試。
這些都是娛樂性比較強的……別覺得哈利波特幼稚什麼的，一提到最喜歡的書學校里有一半人都是它……而且我當時來這里之前啃了好幾遍，然後專業性不強的閱讀都沒有問題啦……
如果想要專業一點的，比如名著什麼的，再追問哦……
Ⅱ 有哪些好看的短篇英文小說
世界三大短篇小說之王
莫泊桑、契訶夫和歐~亨利
莫泊桑（Maupassant1850～1893）19世紀後半期法國優秀的批判現實主義作家。年僅43年生命歷程竟創作了6部長篇小說和356多篇中短篇小說，莫泊桑短篇小說布局結構精巧合理。典型細節選用真實可信、敘事抒情的手法如行雲流水，充分體現了這種的文學傳統。莫泊桑的最出色的短篇代表作是《羊脂球》。《項鏈》、《我的叔叔於勒》；其作品在我國影響很大，近幾年來，一直被作為中學生必課的文學作品.
歐~亨利（1862～1910）善於描寫美國社會尤其是紐約百姓的生活。他的作品構思新穎，語言詼諧，結局常常出人意外；歐~亨利一生創作了270多個短篇小說和一部長篇小說，還有數量很少的詩歌他頗善情節設計，處處留下玄機，結局常常以出人意料出外而收場。讀後使人不禁使人豁然開朗，拍案叫絕,被稱為"歐~亨利式結尾".又因描寫了眾多的人物，富於生活情趣，被譽為「美國生活的幽默網路全書」.黑色幽默,「含淚水的微笑」。代表作有《愛的犧牲》、《警察與贊美詩》、《帶傢具出租的房間》、《麥琪的禮物》、《最後一片葉子》等.
契訶夫（1860-1904）他常以十九世界俄國社會中所常見的凡人小事為素材，用語言簡練、諷刺尖刻筆觸描寫小人物和知識分子兩類人的命運。代表作有《小職員之死》《變色龍》。《套中人》等。契河夫是19世紀末俄國偉大的劇作家和短篇小說家，俄國現實主義文學流派的傑出代表
其他的有:
茨威格短篇小說集
馬克.吐溫短篇小說集
竊賊(阿·康帕尼爾)
情書(岩井俊二)
永遠佔有(格雷厄姆·格林)
化石街(島田莊司)
棋逢對手(西瑞爾·哈爾)
首領(卡拉維洛夫)
熱愛生命(傑克·倫敦)
螞蟻 (博里斯·維昂)
蠢豬 (馬萊巴)
品酒 (羅·達爾)
打不碎的雞蛋 (馬萊巴)
勞駕，快點！(圖戈依)
品酒 (羅·達爾)
Ⅲ 《老人與海海明威短篇小說集》epub下載在線閱讀全文，求百度網盤雲資源
《老人與海（中英雙語）》（[美]海明威 ）電子書網盤下載免費在線閱讀
鏈接：https://pan..com/s/1rimT5K4Ogx2zdMv2Ibbysg
書名：《老人與海（中英雙語）》
豆瓣評分：8.7
作者:[美] 海明威
出版社:上海譯文出版社
原作名:The old man and the sea
譯者:吳勞
出版年:2012-2-1
頁數:265
內容簡介;
《老人與海》是世界上最為著名的中篇小說之一，海明威作品，講述了一位老人隻身到遙遠的海域捕魚的故事。在連續八十四天沒捕到一條魚而被人嘲笑的情況下，老人終於獨自釣上了一條大馬林魚，但這條魚實在是太大了，竟然在海上拖著老人的小漁船游逃了三天，最終筋疲力盡，老人才得以將它殺死並綁在了漁船的一邊。可惜在歸程中，老人不斷遭到鯊魚的襲擊，到岸時這條大馬林魚只剩下魚頭、魚尾和一條脊骨。盡管如此，老人卻從未服輸。
至今，《老人與海》已經在全世界被印成了多個版本，並且有同名電影、動畫、歌曲等作品面市。本書為《老人與海》中英文雙語版。
作者簡介······
歐內斯特•米勒•海明威（英文：Ernest Miller Hemingway，1899年7月21日－1961年7月2日），美國記者、作家以及二十世紀最著名的小說家之一。海明威出生於美國伊利諾伊州芝加哥市郊區的奧克帕克，晚年在愛達荷州凱徹姆的家中自殺身亡。海明威的一生感情錯綜復雜，先後結過四次婚，是美國「迷失的一代」（Lost Generation）作家中的代表人物，作品中對人生，世界，社會都表現出了迷茫和彷徨。
Ⅳ 介紹幾部經典英文短篇小說
（少年維特的煩惱)，我正在看，可能不算短篇吧。但是它的英文我覺得還比較容易好理解。
Ⅳ 推薦幾篇英文短篇童話故事
風和太陽(The Wind And The Sun)
One day the wind said to the sun, 「Look at that man walking along the road. I can get his cloak off more quickly than you can.」 (有一天風跟太陽說: 「看看那個沿著路上走的人.我可以比你快讓他把披風脫下來.)「We will see about that,」 said the sun. 「I will let you try first.」 (「我們等著看吧,」太陽說, 「我讓你先試.)So the wind tried to make the man take off his cloak. He blew and blew, but the man only pulled his cloak more closely around himself. (因此風嘗試讓那個人把披風脫下來.他用力地吹,可是那個人把披風拉得更緊.)「I give up,」 said the wind at last. 「I cannot get his cloak off.」 Then the sun tried. He shone as hard as he could. The man soon became hot and took off his cloak. (「我放棄了,」風最後說, 「我無法讓他把披風脫下來.」然後由太陽試試看.他盡可能地曬他.不久,那個人很熱就把披風脫下來了.)
2. Long ago in a small, faraway village, there was a place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he hounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and firendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
很久以前的一個很遠的小村莊里，有一個以"千鏡屋"而著名的地方。一個樂觀的小狗聽說了這個地方並決定去參觀。當來到這個地方，他蹦蹦跳歡恰快的上了台階，來到房門口，他高高豎起耳朵，歡快地搖著尾巴，從門口往裡張望，他驚奇地看到有1000隻歡樂的小狗像他一樣快的搖尾巴。他燦爛地微笑著，回報他的是1000張熱情，友好的燦爛笑臉。離開時他心想："這是一個精彩的地主，我一定要經常來參觀。"
在這個村裡還有另一隻想參觀"千鏡屋"的小狗，他不及第一隻小狗樂觀，他慢吞吞地爬上台階，然後耷拉著腦袋往屋子裡看。一看到有1000隻小狗不友好地盯著他，他便開始沖他們狂吠，鏡中的1000隻小狗也沖著他狂吠，把他給嚇壞了，他在離開時心想："這是一個恐怖的地方，我再也不會來了。"
世界上所有的臉都是鏡子，在你所遇見的人的臉上你看到反射出來的是什麼?
3、An old cock and a foxIt is evening.An old cock is sitting in a tree.A fox comes to the tree and looks up at the cock."Hello,Mr Cock,I have good news for you,"says the fox."Oh"says thecock,"What good news for me?""All the animals are friends now."says the fox."Fine!"says the cock."I'm very glad to know that."Then he looks up、
"Look!A dog ia coming this way.""What?A dog?"says the fox."Well....well,I must go now.Goodbye,Mr Cock!""Wait,Mr Fox,Don't you like dogs?"Don't you like playing with the dog?Dogs are our friends now.""But,...but they may not know the news yet."Then he runs away."I see,I see,"says the cock.He smiles and goes to sleep
翻譯：一隻老公雞和一隻狐狸是夜。一隻老公雞呆在樹上。一隻狐狸走向大樹要拜訪公雞。"你好，公雞先生，我有一個關於你的好消息。"狐狸說。"噢，"公雞說，"是什麼關於我的好消息?""所有動物現在都是朋友了。"狐狸說。"好，"公雞說，"我聽到那非常高興!"然後他看到了。
"看，一隻狗正在往這邊來。""什麼?一隻狗?"狐狸問。"好的好的，現在我該走了，再見，公雞先生!""等等，狐狸先生，你難道不喜歡狗嗎?難道你不喜歡和狗玩么?狗現在是我們的朋友。""但是，但是它們現在可能還不知道。"然後他跑走了。"我知道了，我知道了，"公雞說。他微笑著然後去睡覺了。
4、The City Mouse and the Country Mouse
Once there were two mice. They were friends. One mouse lived in the country; the other mouse lived in the city. After many years the Country mouse saw the City mouse; he said, "Do come and see me at my house in the country." So the City mouse went. The City mouse said, "This food is not good, and your house is not good. Why do you live in a hole in the field? You should come and live in the city. You would live in a nice house made of stone. You would have nice food to eat. You must come and see me at my house in the city."
The Country mouse went to the house of the City mouse. It was a very good house. Nice food was set ready for them to eat. But just as they began to eat they heard a great noise. The City mouse cried, " Run! Run! The cat is coming!" They ran away quickly and hid.
After some time they came out. When they came out, the Country mouse said, "I do not like living in the city. I like living in my hole in the field. For it is nicer to be poor and happy, than to be rich and afraid."
【譯文】
城裡老鼠和鄉下老鼠
從前，有兩只老鼠，它們是好朋友。一隻老鼠居住在鄉村，另一隻住在城裡。很多年以後，鄉下老鼠碰到城裡老鼠，它說：「你一定要來我鄉下的家看看。」於是，城裡老鼠就去了。鄉下老鼠領著它到了一塊田地上它自己的家裡。它把所有最精美食物都找出來給城裡老鼠。城裡老鼠說：「這東西不好吃，你的家也不好，你為什麼住在田野的地洞里呢？你應該搬到城裡去住，你能住上用石頭造的漂亮房子，還會吃上美味佳餚，你應該到我城裡的家看看。」
鄉下老鼠就到城裡老鼠的家去。房子十分漂亮，好吃的東西也為他們擺好了。可是正當他們要開始吃的時候，聽見很大的一陣響聲，城裡的老鼠叫喊起來：「快跑！快跑！貓來了！」他們飛快地跑開躲藏起來。
過了一會兒，他們出來了。當他們出來時，鄉下老鼠說：「我不喜歡住在城裡，我喜歡住在田野我的洞里。因為這樣雖然貧窮但是快樂自在，比起雖然富有卻要過著提心吊膽的生活來說，要好些。」
Ⅵ 推薦一些簡單的英語英漢對照讀物
「書蟲」是外語教學與研究出版社和牛津大學出版社共同奉獻給廣大英語學習者的一大精品。中英雙語對照閱讀，提高閱讀量，擴增單詞量。建議初學者能熟練的掌握3-5本，通讀100本左右。對英語的提高很有好處。 入門級 入門級：適合小學高年級、初一，共10本 1、《生存游戲》 2、《俠盜羅賓漢》 3、《白色巨石》 4、《紅酋長的贖金》 5、《吸血鬼獵手》 6、《逆戟鯨》 7、《霧都疑案》 8、《亞瑟王傳奇》 9、《亞瑟王朝里的美國人》 10、《把錢拿出來！》 第一級 第一級：300生詞量，適合初一、初二學生，分上、下兩冊，共20本 上冊（共10本） 1、《愛情與金錢》 2、《蘇格蘭瑪麗女王》 3、《在月亮下面》 4、《潘德爾的巫師》 5、《歌劇院的幽靈》 6、《猴爪》 7、《象人》 8、《世界上最冷的地方》 9、《阿拉丁和神燈》 10、《別了，好萊塢先生》 下冊（共10本） 1、《小公主》 2、《邦蒂號暴動》 3、《奧米茄文件》 4、《誰謀殺了總統》 5、《福爾摩斯和公爵的兒子》 6、《白色死亡》 7、《綠野仙蹤》 8、《難忘米蘭達》 9、《福爾摩斯與賽馬》 10、《湯姆·索亞歷險記》 第二級 第二級：600生詞量，適合初二、初三學生，分上、下兩冊，共25本 上冊（共12本） 1、《威廉·莎士比亞》 2、《格雷絲·達林》 3、《鋼琴之戀》 4、《莫爾格街兇殺案》 5、《魯賓孫漂流記》 6、《愛麗絲漫遊奇境記》 7、《格林·蓋布爾斯來的安妮》 8、《五個孩子和沙精》 9、《風中奇緣》 10、《長池村的故事》 11、《歐·亨利短篇小說集》 12、《分享年》 下冊（共13本） 1、《神秘女人——阿加莎·克里斯蒂》 2、《德拉庫拉》 3、《喬納森·哈克的日記》 4、《亨利八世和他的六位妻子》 5、《哈克貝利·費恩歷險記》 6、《阿利格拉之謎》 7、《五鎮故事》 8、《法蘭克福的耳環》 9、《新森林的孩子們》 10、《福爾摩斯探案故事》 11、《一個國王的愛情故事》 12、《亡靈島》 13、《坎特維爾幽靈》 第三級 第三級：1000生詞量，適合初三、高一學生，分上、下兩冊，共19本 上冊（共10本） 1、《弗蘭肯斯坦》 2、《野性的呼喚》 3、《秘密花園》 4、《曾達的囚徒》 5、《愛麗絲鏡中世界奇遇記》 6、《風語河岸柳》 7、《神秘幻想故事集》 8、《鐵路少年》 9、《三個陌生人》 10、《伊桑·佛羅姆》 下冊（共9本） 1、《聖誕歡歌》 2、《多里安·格雷的畫像》 3、《勃朗特一家的故事》 4、《牙齒和爪子》 5、《星際動物園》 6、《誘拐》 7、《公正》 8、《化學秘密》 9、《劫機！》 第四級 第四級：1500生詞量，適合高一、高二學生，分上、下兩冊，共17本 上冊（共9本） 1、《巴斯克維爾獵犬》 2、《不平靜的墳墓》 3、《三怪客泛舟記》 4、《三十九級台階》 5、《小婦人》 6、《克蘭福德》 7、《華盛頓廣場》 8、《織工馬南》 9、《化身博士》 下冊（共8本） 1、《雙城記》 2、《格列佛游記》 3、《金銀島》 4、《黑駿馬》 5、《紅字》 6、《極限之旅》 7、《吉姆老爺》 8、《洛娜·杜恩》 第五級 第五級：2000生詞量，適合高二、高三學生，共6本。 1、《大衛·科波菲爾》 2、《遠離塵囂》 3、《遠大前程》 4、《呼嘯山莊》 5、《園會》 6、《理智與情感》 第六級 第六級：2300生詞量，適合高三、大學低年級學生，共5本 1、《簡·愛》 2、《霧都孤兒》 3、《傲慢與偏見》 4、《苔絲》 5、《白衣女人》
Ⅶ 有哪些好看的短篇英文小說
《了不起的蓋茨比》
作者簡介：弗·司各特·菲茨傑拉德，美國小說家，年輕時試寫過劇本。1920年出版了長篇小說《人間天堂》，從此出了名，小說出版後他與澤爾達結婚。1925年《了不起的蓋茨比》問世，奠定了他在現代美國文學史上的地位，成了20年代「爵士時代」的發言人和「迷惘的一代」的代表作家之一。
內容簡介：20世紀20年代的美國，空氣里彌漫著歡歌與縱飲的氣息。一個偶然的機會，窮職員尼克闖人了揮金如土的大富翁蓋茨比隱秘的世界，驚訝地發現，他內心惟一的牽絆竟是河對岸那盞小小的綠燈——-燈影婆娑中，住著他心愛的黛西。然而，冰冷的現實容不下飄渺的夢，到頭來，蓋茨比心中的女神只不過是凡塵俗世的物質女郎。當一切真相大白，蓋茨比的悲劇人生亦如煙花般，璀璨只是一瞬，幻滅才是永恆。
推薦理由：一闋華麗的「爵士時代」的輓歌，在菲茨傑拉德筆下，如詩如夢，在美國當代文學史上留下了墨色濃重的印痕。20世紀末，美國學術界權威在百年英語文學長河中選出一百部最優秀的小說，《了不起的蓋茨比》高居第二位，傲然躋身當代經典行列。
Ⅷ 經典短篇英文小說
經典短篇小說好多呢！用詞比較簡單，但意義深刻！更重要的是每一篇都短小精悍！（符合你的要求哦）
1.《生火》傑克.倫敦 To Build a Fire (Jack LondonP
2.《厄謝爾府的倒塌》 愛倫.坡
The Fall of the House of Usher (Edgar Allan Poe)
3.《項鏈》莫泊桑 The Necklace (Guy de Maupassant)
4.《警察與贊美詩》歐.亨利 The Cop and the Anthem
(O Henry)
5.《麥琪的禮物》歐.亨利 Magi's gift (O Henry)
6.《最後一片藤葉》歐.亨利 The Last Leaf (O Henry)
7.《加利維拉縣有名的跳蛙》馬克.吐溫 The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
（Mark Twain)
8.《人生的五種恩賜》馬克.吐溫
The Five Boons of Life （Mark Twain)
9.《三生客》 托馬斯.哈代 The Three Strangers
(Thomas Hardy)
10.《敞開的落地窗》薩基 The Open Window (Saki)
11.《末代佳人》菲茨傑拉德 The Last of the Belles
(F.S.Fitzgerald)
12.《手》舍伍德.安德森 Hands
13.《伊芙琳》詹姆斯.喬伊斯 Eveline
14.《教長的黑色面紗》納撒尼爾.霍桑
Ⅸ 歐亨利中英文短篇小說集
愛洋蔥有很多歐亨利中英文短篇小說，而且還是中英雙語的，下面的只是一部分，如果你感興趣可以去網站看看。
《三葉草和棕櫚樹》Shamrock and the Palm
借主人公之口，回憶了克蘭西從一位暴君的魔掌中逃脫的故事。
《失語漫遊》A Ramble in Aphasia
如果有一天，你一覺醒來發現自己失憶了，你會怎麼辦？歐·亨利的《失語漫遊》講述的正是一個失憶者的故事。一位成天鑽研法律的名律師，幾乎與娛樂絕緣，他的生活可謂了無生趣。有一天他的生活突然有趣了起來：他帶著巨款，在客車上失憶了！接下來他該何去何從？且看歐·亨利如何將一個成功男士失憶後的心理、生活狀態寫得惟妙惟肖！
《黃狗自傳》Memoirs of a Yellow Dog
動物會寫文章？動物會用語言表達自己？一隻黃狗會有怎樣的傾訴欲。歐·亨利短篇小說《黃狗自傳》，以一隻黃狗為第一人稱，講述一隻狗的日常生活
《恭賀佳節》Compliments of the Season
流浪漢、布娃娃、百元大鈔、百萬富翁、聖誕佳節這看似風馬牛不相及的一切到底有何關聯？走進歐·亨利千回百轉、光怪陸離、驚奇不斷的奇妙小說世界，《恭賀佳節》即將向您揭曉滿意的答案。
《巴格達之雞》A Bird of Bagdad
一個謎語引發了一群人的思考，歐·亨利似的結尾總能在最後讓讀者恍然大悟，又或者啞然失笑。奎格在路上偶遇一個小伙，小夥子為了取得參加心上人生日宴會的資格，正在為一個謎語而困惑不已。
《沒有結局的故事》An Unfinished Story
描寫了一位每周只掙五美圓的貧窮女工達爾西在闊佬的誘惑下，雖一時動搖但最終拒絕。她復雜的內心世界被真實的表現出來。
《鞋》Shoes
《鞋》是由一個玩笑引發的故事，讀來詼諧幽默又意味深長。小說的結尾是典型的「歐·亨利式
的結尾」，既在意料之外，又在情理之中。美國駐科拉里奧領事約翰收到了來自家鄉的一封信，咨詢關於來科拉里奧開鞋店是否可行。出於消遣，他回信說這里急需一家鞋店。實際情況則是，這個三千多人的小鎮沒有幾個人願受穿鞋之苦。沒想到，真的有人變賣了家產，滿懷希望載著鞋子來了，而這個人竟然還是約翰心上人的父親……
《閃光的金子》The Gold That Glittered
自以為是的騙子自作聰明卻弄巧成拙，有勇無謀的將軍無心插柳卻誤打誤撞狠狠地捉弄了騙子。世事難料，往往事與願違，是造化弄人，還是萬事皆有因？歐·亨利的短篇小說《閃光的金子》向我們講述了這樣一個荒謬的幽默諷喻故事。
Ⅹ 推薦一些英文短篇小說
相信你會喜歡這篇短小的小說的。
Appointment With Love －－By Sulamith Ish-Kishor
Six minutes to six, said the great round clock over the information booth in Grand Central Station. The tall young Army lieutenant who had just come from the direction of the tracks lifted his sunburned face, and his eyes narrowed to note the exact time. His heart was pounding with a beat that shocked him because he could not control it. In six minutes, he would see the woman who had filled such a special place in his life for the past 13 months, the woman he had never seen, yet whose written words had been with him and sustained him unfailingly.
He placed himself as close as he could to the information booth, just beyond the ring of people besieging the clerks...
Lieutenant Blandford remembered one night in particular, the worst of the fighting, when his plane had been caught in the midst of a pack of Zeros. He had seen the grinning face of one of the enemy pilots.
In one of his letters, he had confessed to her that he often felt fear, and only a few days before this battle, he had received her answer: "Of course you fear...all brave men do. Didn't King David know fear? That's why he wrote the 23rd Psalm. Next time you doubt yourself, I want you to hear my voice reciting to you: 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for Thou art with me.'" And he had remembered; he had heard her imagined voice, and it had renewed his strength and skill.
Now he was going to hear her real voice. Four minutes to six. His face grew sharp.
Under the immense, starred roof, people were walking fast, like threads of color being woven into a gray web. A girl passed close to him, and Lieutenant Blandford started. She was wearing a red flower in her suit lapel, but it was a crimson sweet pea, not the little red rose they had agreed upon. Besides, this girl was too young, about 18, whereas Hollis Meynell had frankly told him she was 30. "Well, what of it?" he had answered. "I'm 32." He was 29.
His mind went back to that book - the book the Lord Himself must have put into his hands out of the hundreds of Army library books sent to the Florida training camp. Of Human Bondage, it was; and throughout the book were notes in a woman's writing. He had always hated that writing-in habit, but these remarks were different. He had never believed that a woman could see into a man's heart so tenderly, so understandingly. Her name was on the bookplate: Hollis Meynell. He had got hold of a New York City telephone book and found her address. He had written, she had answered. Next day he had been shipped out, but they had gone on writing.
For 13 months, she had faithfully replied, and more than replied. When his letters did not arrive she wrote anyway, and now he believed he loved her, and she loved him.
But she had refused all his pleas to send him her photograph. That seemed rather bad, of course. But she had explained: "If your feeling for me has any reality, any honest basis, what I look like won't matter. Suppose I'm beautiful. I'd always be haunted by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose I'm plain (and you must admit that this is more likely). Then I'd always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don't ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decision. Remember, both of us are free to stop or to go on after that - whichever we choose..."
One minute to six - Lieutenant Blandford's heart leaped higher than his plane had ever done.
A young woman was coming toward him. Her figure was long and slim; her blond hair lay back in curls from her delicate ears. Her eyes were blue as flowers, her lips and chin had a gentle firmness. In her pale green suit, she was like springtime come alive.
He started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that she was wearing no rose, and as he moved, a small, provocative smile curved her lips.
"Going my way, soldier?" she murmured.
Uncontrollably, he made one step closer to her. Then he saw Hollis Meynell.
She was standing almost directly behind the girl, a woman well past 40, her graying hair tucked under a worn hat. She was more than plump; her thick-ankled feet were thrust into low-heeled shoes. But she wore a red rose in the rumpled lapel of her brown coat.
The girl in the green suit was walking quickly away.
Blandford felt as though he were being split in two, so keen was his desire to follow the girl, yet so deep was his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned and upheld his own; and there she stood. Her pale, plump face was gentle and sensible; he could see that now. Her gray eyes had a warm, kindly twinkle.
Lieutenant Blandford did not hesitate. His fingers gripped the small worn, blue leather of Of Human Bondage, which was to identify him to her. This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps even rarer than love - a friendship for which he had been and must ever be grateful.
He squared his broad shoulders, saluted and held the book out toward the woman, although even while he spoke he felt shocked by the bitterness of his disappointment.
"I'm Lieutenant John Blandford, and you - you are Miss Meynell. I'm so glad you could meet me. May...may I take you to dinner?"
The woman's face broadened in a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is all about, son," she answered. "That young lady in the green suit - the one who just went by - begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said that if you asked me to go out with you, I should tell you that she's waiting for you in that big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of a test. I've got two boys with Uncle Sam myself, so I didn't mind to oblige you."