經典短篇小說英文

A. 急需一個英文短篇小說 500〜800字！求快！要原創型的！

El Sordo was making his fight on a hilltop. He did not like this hill and when he saw it he thought it had the shape of a chancre. But he had had no choice except this hill and he had picked it as far away as he could see it and galloped for it, the automatic rifle heavy on his back, the horse laboring, barrel heaving between his thighs, the sack of grenades swinging against one side, the sack of automatic rifle pans banging against the other, and Joaqu璯 and Ignacio halting and firing, halting and firing to give him time to get the gun in place.
There had still been snow then, the snow that had ruined them, and when his horse was hit so that he wheezed in a slow, jerking, climbing stagger up the last part of the crest, splattering the snow with a bright, pulsing jet, Sordo had hauled him along by the bridle, the reins over his shoulder as he climbed. He climbed as hard as he could with the bullets spatting on the rocks, with the two sacks heavy on his shoulders, and then, holding the horse by the mane, had shot him quickly, expertly, and tenderly just where he had needed him, so that the horse pitched, head forward down to plug a gap between two rocks. He had gotten the gun to firing over the horse's back and he fired two pans, the gun clattering, the empty shells pitching into the snow, the smell of burnt hair from the burnt hide where the hot muzzle rested, him firing at what came up to the hill, forcing them to scatter for cover, while all the time there was a chill in his back from not knowing what was behind him. Once the last of the five men had reached the hilltop the chill went out of his back and he had saved the pans he had left until he would need them.
There were two more horses dead along the slope and three more were dead here on the hilltop. He had only succeeded in stealing three horses last night and one had bolted when they tried to mount him bareback in the corral at the camp when the first shooting had started.
Of the five men who had reached the hilltop three were wounded. Sordo was wounded in the calf of his leg and in two places in his left arm. He was very thirsty, his wounds had stiffened, and one of the wounds in his left arm was very painful. He also had a bad headache and as he lay waiting for the planes to come he thought of a joke in Spanish. It was, "_Hay que tomar la muerte como si fuera aspirina_," which means, "You will have to take death as an aspirin." But he did not make the joke aloud. He grinned somewhere inside the pain in his head and inside the nausea that came whenever he moved his arm and looked around at what there was left of his band.
The five men were spread out like the points of a five-pointed star. They had g with their knees and hands and made mounds in front of their heads and shoulders with the dirt and piles of stones. Using this cover, they were linking the indivial mounds up with stones and dirt. Joaqu璯, who was eighteen years old, had a steel helmet that he g with and he passed dirt in it.
He had gotten this helmet at the blowing up of the train. It had a bullet hole through it and every one had always joked at him for keeping it. But he had hammered the jagged edges of the bullet hole smooth and driven a wooden plug into it and then cut the plug off and smoothed it even with the metal inside the helmet.
When the shooting started he had clapped this helmet on his head so hard it banged his head as though he had been hit with a casserole and, in the last lung-aching, leg-dead, mouth-dry, bulletspatting, bullet-cracking, bullet-singing run up the final slope of the hill after his horse was killed, the helmet had seemed to weigh a great amount and to ring his bursting forehead with an iron band. But he had kept it. Now he g with it in a steady, almost machinelike desperation. He had not yet been hit.
"It serves for something finally," Sordo said to him in his deep, throaty voice.
"_Resistir y fortificar es vencer_," Joaqu璯 said, his mouth stiff with the dryness of fear which surpassed the normal thirst of battle. It was one of the slogans of the Communist party and it meant, "Hold out and fortify, and you will win."
Sordo looked away and down the slope at where a cavalryman was sniping from behind a boulder. He was very fond of this boy and he was in no mood for slogans.
"What did you say?"
One of the men turned from the building that he was doing. This man was lying flat on his face, reaching carefully up with his hands to put a rock in place while keeping his chin flat against the ground.
Joaqu璯 repeated the slogan in his dried-up boy's voice without checking his digging for a moment.
"What was the last word?" the man with his chin on the ground asked.
"_Vencer_," the boy said. "Win."
"_Mierda_," the man with his chin on the ground said.
"There is another that applies to here," Joaqu璯 said, bringing them out as though they were talismans, "Pasionaria says it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees."
"_Mierda_ again," the man said and another man said, over his shoulder, "We're on our bellies, not our knees."
"Thou. Communist. Do you know your Pasionaria has a son thy age in Russia since the start of the movement?"
"It's a lie," Joaqu璯 said.
"_Qu?va_, it's a lie," the other said. "The dynamiter with the rare name told me. He was of thy party, too. Why should he lie?"
"It's a lie," Joaqu璯 said. "She would not do such a thing as keep a son hidden in Russia out of the war."
"I wish I were in Russia," another of Sordo's men said. "Will not thy Pasionaria send me now from here to Russia, Communist?"
"If thou believest so much in thy Pasionaria, get her to get us off this hill," one of the men who had a bandaged thigh said.
"The fascists will do that," the man with his chin in the dirt said.
"Do not speak thus," Joaqu璯 said to him.
"Wipe the pap of your mother's breasts off thy lips and give me a hatful of that dirt," the man with his chin on the ground said. "No one of us will see the sun go down this night."
El Sordo was thinking: It is shaped like a chancre. Or the breast of a young girl with no nipple. Or the top cone of a volcano. You have never seen a volcano, he thought. Nor will you ever see one. And this hill is like a chancre. Let the volcanos alone. It's late now for the volcanos.
He looked very carefully around the withers of the dead horse and there was a quick hammering of firing from behind a boulder well down the slope and he heard the bullets from the submachine gun thud into the horse. He crawled along behind the horse and looked out of the angle between the horse's hindquarters and the rock. There were three bodies on the slope just below him where they had fallen when the fascists had rushed the crest under cover of the automatic rifle and submachine gunfire and he and the others had broken down the attack by throwing and rolling down hand grenades. There were other bodies that he could not see on the other sides of the hill crest. There was no dead ground by which attackers could approach the summit and Sordo knew that as long as his ammunition and grenades held out and he had as many as four men they could not get him out of there unless they brought up a trench mortar. He did not know whether they had sent to La Granja for a trench mortar. Perhaps they had not, because surely, soon, the planes would come. It had been four hours since the observation plane had flown over them.
This hill is truly like a chancre, Sordo thought, and we are the very pus of it. But we killed many when they made that stupidness. How could they think that they would take us thus? They have such modern armament that they lose all their sense with overconfidence. He had killed the young officer who had led the assault with a grenade that had gone bouncing and rolling down the slope as they came up it, running, bent half over. In the yellow flash and gray roar of smoke he had seen the officer dive forward to where he lay now like a heavy, broken bundle of old clothing marking the farthest point that the assault had reached. Sordo looked at this body and then, down the hill, at the others.
They are brave but stupid people, he thought. But they have sense enough now not to attack us again until the planes come. Unless, of course, they have a mortar coming. It would be easy with a mortar. The mortar was the normal thing and he knew that they would die as soon as a mortar came up, but when he thought of the planes coming up he felt as naked on that hilltop as though all of his clothing and even his skin had been removed. There is no nakeder thing than I feel, he thought. A flayed rabbit is as well covered as a bear in comparison. But why should they bring planes? They could get us out of here with a trench mortar easily. They are proud of their planes, though, and they will probably bring them. Just as they were so proud of their automatic weapons that they made that stupidness. But undoubtedly they must have sent for a mortar too.
One of the men fired. Then jerked the bolt and fired again, quickly.
"Save thy cartridges," Sordo said.
"One of the sons of the great whore tried to reach that boulder," the man pointed.
"Did you hit him?" Sordo asked, turning his head with difficulty.
"Nay," the man said. "The fornicator cked back."
"Who is a whore of whores is Pilar," the man with his chin in the dirt said. "That whore knows we are dying here."
"She could do no good," Sordo said. The man had spoken on the side of his good ear and he had heard him without turning his head. "What could she do?"
"Take these sluts from the rear."
"_Qu?va_," Sordo said. "They are spread around a hillside. How would she come on them? There are a hundred and fifty of them. Maybe more now."
"But if we hold out until dark," Joaqu璯 said.
"And if Christmas comes on Easter," the man with his chin on the ground said.
"And if thy aunt had _cojones_ she would be thy uncle," another said to him. "Send for thy Pasionaria. She alone can help us."
"I do not believe that about the son," Joaqu璯 said. "Or if he is there he is training to be an aviator or something of that sort."
"He is hidden there for safety," the man told him.
"He is studying dialectics. Thy Pasionaria has been there. So have Lister and Modesto and others. The one with the rare name told me."
"That they should go to study and return to aid us," Joaqu璯 said.
"That they should aid us now," another man said. "That all the cruts of Russian sucking swindlers should aid us now." He fired and said, "_Me cago en tal_; I missed him again."
"Save thy cartridges and do not talk so much or thou wilt be very thirsty," Sordo said. "There is no water on this hill."
"Take this," the man said and rolling on his side he pulled a wineskin that he wore slung from his shoulder over his head and handed it to Sordo. "Wash thy mouth out, old one. Thou must have much thirst with thy wounds."
"Let all take it," Sordo said.
"Then I will have some first," the owner said and squirted a long stream into his mouth before he handed the leather bottle around.
"Sordo, when thinkest thou the planes will come?" the man with his chin in the dirt asked.
"Any time," said Sordo. "They should have come before."
"Do you think these sons of the great whore will attack again?"
"Only if the planes do not come."
He did not think there was any need to speak about the mortar. They would know it soon enough when the mortar came.
"God knows they've enough planes with what we saw yesterday."
"Too many," Sordo said.
His head hurt very much and his arm was stiffening so that the pain of moving it was almost unbearable. He looked up at the bright, high, blue early summer sky as he raised the leather wine bottle with his good arm. He was fifty-two years old and he was sure this was the last time he would see that sky.
He was not at all afraid of dying but he was angry at being trapped on this hill which was only utilizable as a place to die. If we could have gotten clear, he thought. If we could have made them come up the long valley or if we could have broken loose across the road it would have been all right. But this chancre of a hill. We must use it as well as we can and we have used it very well so far.
If he had known how many men in history have had to use a hill to die on it would not have cheered him any for, in the moment he was passing through, men are not impressed by what has happened to other men in similar circumstances any more than a widow of one day is helped by the knowledge that other loved husbands have died. Whether one has fear of it or not, one's death is difficult to accept. Sordo had accepted it but there was no sweetness in its acceptance even at fifty-two, with three wounds and him surrounded on a hill.
He joked about it to himself but he looked at the sky and at the far mountains and he swallowed the wine and he did not want it. If one must die, he thought, and clearly one must, I can die. But I hate it.
Dying was nothing and he had no picture of it nor fear of it in his mind. But living was a field of grain blowing in the wind on the side of a hill. Living was a hawk in the sky. Living was an earthen jar of water in the st of the threshing with the grain flailed out and the chaff blowing. Living was a horse between your legs and a carbine under one leg and a hill and a valley and a stream with trees along it and the far side of the valley and the hills beyond.

B. 一篇英文短篇小說的英文版簡介，應付作業啊，一定要快

《The Million Pound Note》：

In 1903, American seaman Henry Adams (Gregory Peck) is stranded penniless in England and gets caught up in an unusual wager between two wealthy, eccentric brothers, Oliver (Ronald Squire) and Roderick Montpelier (Wilfrid Hyde-White). They persuade the Bank of England to issue a one million pound banknote, which they present to Adams in an envelope (only telling him that it contains some money). The reason for this is that Oliver believes that the mere existence of the note will enable the possessor to obtain whatever he needs, while Roderick contends that it would actually have to be spent for it to be of any use.

Once Adams gets over the shock of discovering how much the note is worth, he tries to return it to the brothers, but is told that they have left for a month. He then finds a letter in the envelope, explaining the wager and promising him a job if he can avoid spending the note for the month.

At first, everything goes as Oliver had predicted. Adams is mistaken for an eccentric millionaire and has no trouble getting food, clothes and a hotel suite on credit, just by showing his note. The story of the note is reported in the newspapers. Adams is welcomed into exclusive social circles, meeting the American ambassador and English aristocracy. He becomes very friendly with Portia Lansdowne (Jane Griffiths), the niece of the Duchess of Cromarty.

Then, fellow American Lloyd Hastings (Hartley Power) asks him to back a business venture. Hastings tells Adams that he does not have to put up any money himself; the mere association will allow Hastings to raise the money he needs to start up a gold mine by selling shares.

Trouble arises when the Duke of Frognal (A. E. Matthews), who had been unceremoniously evicted from the suite Adams now occupies, hides the note as a joke. When Adams is unable to proce the note, panic breaks out amongst the shareholders and Adams' creditors. Fortunately, all is straightened out
, and Adams is able to return the note to the Montpelier brothers at the end of the month.

C. 關於「友誼」的短篇英文小說

Friendship is indispensable to people's life. A man without friends is an angel without wings, whose life will suffer in the long tolerance of loneliness and depression. Friendship is the mother of our psyche, who'll warm her kid when hurt occurs. We have much to share with our friends in life, perplexity, excitement, bitterness etc. Alas, it's magnificent to maintain a genuine friendship.

It takes many special qualities to make a friend. Understanding should come first. Only when we get a better understanding of each other can we gain an authentic and meaningful friendship. We may find our hobbies of common interests. This feeling of affinity gets us closer and closer.

It also takes a special kind of love that seems to know no end. Never hesitate to show your heartfelt care and kindness to your friend when he/she is in trouble. Love is not selfish. Love is endowed by God that we should treasure all our life.

Tolerance is the third essential part in friendship. We are absolutely different persons. This indivial distinction may cause conflict between us in every aspect of our life. Don't immerse ourself in this infliction too long. Try to tolerant his/her in an introspective mood. Saints are not perfect, let alone those ordinary people like us. Afterwards, we should get a good communication. Never shy to confess.

Understanding, love and tolerance are the first three essences that comes to an authentic friendship. Other qualities are also concerned such as thoughtfulness, trust and patience. Remember, friendship is your psyche's guard, treasure it
友誼是不可缺少的人們的生活。沒有朋友的人沒有翅膀的天使,他的生活將會受到在長期的寬容的孤獨和抑鬱。友誼是我們的母親心理,誰來溫暖自己孩子什麼時候傷害的發生。我們有很多一起分享我們的朋友在生活中,困惑,興奮,苦等。唉,它卻是很偉大的維持一個真正的友誼。

要用許多特殊性質為了結交新朋友。理解能先來。只有當我們更好的了解對方就會給我們帶來一個真正的和有意義的友誼。我們可能會發現共同利益的業余愛好。這種感覺的親和力讓我們越來越近。

它也需要一種特別的愛似乎知道沒有終點的。不要猶豫,盡管顯示你並給你的朋友的關心和體貼。當他/她有麻煩了。愛不是自私。愛是賦予上帝,我們應該珍惜一生。

寬容是第三中最重要的組成部分的友誼。我們完全不同的人。這個人的區別可能會引起沖突,在各方面我們生命中的一個大境界了。不要讓自己在這所施加的時間太長了。試著寬容他/她的在一個發人深省的心情。聖徒並不完美,更不用說那些一個像我們這樣的普通人。後來,我們應該好好溝通。不害羞的承認。

理解、愛和寬容三個基本要素是第一個是一個真正的友誼。其他的品質也對此表示關注,如體貼、信任和耐心。記住,友誼是心靈的後衛,珍惜它

D. 海明威所有短篇小說英文名稱是什麼

海明威的短篇小說英文名稱眾多，其中最著名的包括《永別了，武器》(A Farewell to Arms)、《太陽照樣升起》(The Sun Also Rises)、《喪鍾為誰而鳴》(For whom the bell tolls)、《老人與海》(The Old Person and Sea)、《非洲的青山》(The Green Hills of Africa)、《戰地鍾聲》(For Whom the Bell Tolls)、《乞力馬扎羅的雪》(The Snows of Kilimanjaro)和《第五縱隊》(the fifth column)。

這些作品涵蓋了海明威的多樣風格和主題，從戰爭的殘酷到個人的掙扎，從自然景觀的描繪到內心世界的探索。《永別了，武器》和《喪鍾為誰而鳴》反映了海明威對戰爭的深刻反思，《老人與海》則展現了堅韌不拔的人性光輝，《非洲的青山》和《戰地鍾聲》則描繪了海明威的探險經歷和對自然的敬畏，《乞力馬扎羅的雪》則深入探討了人類的恐懼和慾望。

海明威的短篇小說以其簡潔明快的語言風格和深刻的思想內涵著稱。他在作品中塑造了一系列鮮明的人物形象，通過他們的故事展現了人性的復雜性和生活的艱辛。這些作品不僅在文學上具有重要地位，也對後來的作家產生了深遠影響。

《第五縱隊》雖然也屬於他的創作范疇，但它是長篇小說而非短篇。這部作品探討了背叛與忠誠的主題，反映了海明威對社會現象的洞察。

無論是《永別了，武器》還是《喪鍾為誰而鳴》，都展現了海明威對戰爭的深刻反思和對人性的關懷。《老人與海》中的桑提亞哥成為了堅毅與希望的象徵，而《非洲的青山》和《戰地鍾聲》則展示了作者對自然和戰爭的復雜情感。《乞力馬扎羅的雪》則通過一個醫生的故事，探討了生命的意義和人類的恐懼。

海明威的短篇小說不僅是文學寶庫中的瑰寶，也是理解他思想和風格的重要窗口。這些作品至今仍被廣泛閱讀和研究，為讀者提供了深刻的思考和感悟。

E. 推薦6篇超經典的英語短篇小說，幾分鍾就能讀完，馬上讀起來！

以下是六篇推薦的英語短篇小說，它們篇篇經典，值得一讀，閱讀時長不超過10分鍾。這些小說涵蓋了不同主題，包括職場幽默、情感轉變、寫作經驗、校園生活和象徵寓言，都是深思熟慮之作。請注意，以下內容不包含標題或額外的推薦信息，直接提供小說的簡介和摘選。

1. 《入職介紹》(Orientation) by 丹尼爾·奧羅斯科(Daniel Orozco)

閱讀時長：8分鍾

這篇短篇小說以獨白的形式講述了一個新員工入職時的全過程，讓職場經歷的讀者深感共鳴。

精彩選段：

員工被引導參觀辦公室時，主管介紹到：「這是你的座機。電話你不用接，語音信箱系統會自動接聽。」隨後，主管的介紹變得私人化，涉及員工的私生活。

2. 《一小時的故事》(The Story of an Hour) by 凱特·肖邦(Kate Chopin)

閱讀時長：5分鍾

這篇短篇講述了女主人公從聽說丈夫死訊到發現丈夫還活著中間一小時的心理歷程，探討了個人自由與婚姻束縛的主題。

精彩選段：

她能看到新生命的氣息從房前的樹梢彌漫開來，空氣中彌漫著雨水的清新。街上的小販在叫賣，遠處有人在歌唱，屋檐下麻雀在嘰嘰喳喳。

3. 《如何成為一名作家》(How to Become a Writer) by 洛麗·摩爾(Lorrie Moore)

閱讀時長：10分鍾

故事圍繞一個有志於成為作家的人所面臨的挑戰，包括制定備用計劃和處理混亂的大學室友。

精彩選段：

「早年失敗，比如14歲，有助於形成對失敗的早期理解，15歲時，你就能以挫敗為靈感寫出長俳句。」母親以簡練而實際的態度對待寫作。

4. 《學校》(The School) by 唐納德·巴塞爾姆(Donald Barthelme)

閱讀時長：5分鍾

這個故事充滿了戲劇性獨白，展現了巴塞爾姆標志性的幽默和文體實驗。

精彩選段：

孩子們不斷地詢問老師關於死亡和生命意義的問題，討論圍繞著樹、動物和孩子生命的消失展開。

5. 《徵兆與象徵》(Symbols and Signs) by 弗拉基米爾·納博科夫(Vladimir Nabokov)

閱讀時長：10分鍾

納博科夫的散文充滿詩意，這篇關於妄想症男孩、家庭和同伴之間故事的小說既讓人好奇又令人反思。

精彩選段：

男孩試圖撕開現實世界的缺口以逃脫，盡管他最終被阻止，但他真正渴望的是逃離。

6. 更多經典英語短篇小說資源鏈接：pan..com/s/1gfD2oC... 密碼: p5ru

這些短篇小說不僅短小精悍，且主題豐富，是提升英語閱讀和理解能力的絕佳材料。希望您在閱讀這些作品時能獲得啟發和享受。

F. 英語短篇小說

經典英語短篇小說推薦如下：
1、密西西比河上的馬戲團男孩 The Circus Boys On the M
簡介： 本書是1910-1920出版的一套兒童系列叢書中的一本，講述了兩個男孩離家加入馬戲團的故事。達靈頓先生用大師之筆，向我們描繪了馬戲團生活的真實畫面。...
2、Around the World in Seventy-Two Days
In 1888, Bly suggested to her editor at the New York World that she take a trip around the world, attempting to turn the fictional Around the World in Eighty Days into fact for the first time. A year later, at 9:40 a.m. on November 14, 1889...
3、The Aspern Papers
簡介： With a decaying Venetian villa as a backdrop, an anonymous narrator relates his obsessive quest for the personal documents of a deceased Romantic poet, one Jeffrey Aspern. Led by his mission into increasingly unscrupulous behavior, he is ul...
4、At the Back of the North Wind
There was once a little boy named Diamond and he slept in a low room over a coach house. In fact, his room was just a loft where they kept hay and straw and oats for the horses. Little Diamonds father was a coachman and he had named his boy..

G. 有哪些經典的英文原著書適合英語初學者閱讀

1、Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone《哈利波特與魔法石》，難度：二星第一本，是陪我們從小到大的哈利波特系列。這個故事，想必大家都非常熟悉，而它的英文原版，非常的適合我們在看英文原版時入門閱讀用。故事充滿了濃濃的「愛」和「友誼」，還有J.K.羅琳加入其中的魔法。讀者在領略羅琳創造的魔法世界時，也有了更廣闊的想像空間。看完這本，還可以看看Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets（哈利波特與密室）和Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkab（哈利波特與阿茲卡班的囚徒）噢。
2、 The old man and the sea 《老人與海》，難度：二星，簡介： 這是一本經典名著，但是它卻並不枯燥難懂。我們的語文課本選錄過裡面的篇章，現在，我們可以讀讀原版。海明威的特點是用詞簡單易懂，且篇幅不長，以短篇居多，因此非常適合我們閱讀。這本書會讓我們了解什麼是真正的硬漢，也會給我們力量。還記得那句話嗎？Man is not made for defeat.A man can be destroyed but not defeated.相信看了這本，你還會想看看海明威其他的作品。
3、The house on mango street 《芒果街上的小屋》，難度：二星，一本優美純凈的小書，如詩一般，用詞不難卻優美。故事講述了居住在芝加哥拉美移民社區芒果街上的女孩埃斯佩朗莎生的故事。她以同情心和對美的感覺力，用清澈的眼打量周圍的世界，用稚嫩的語言講述成長和滄桑，講述生命的美好與不易，講述年輕的熱望和夢想。
4、Flipped《怦然心動》，難度：二星。你看過電影《怦然心動》嗎？這本便是同名電影的原著小說。它講述了一個單純美好的故事，裡面有美好的田園風光和校園生活，還有屬於布萊斯和朱莉的故事。 小說要比電影有意思很多，相信你看的時候一定會笑出聲來。敘述以男孩和女孩視角的章節交錯進行，畫面感很強。
5、Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austin 《傲慢與偏見》，難度：三星，這本書是簡奧斯汀的經典代表作，也是她最為人喜愛且流傳最廣的作品。這位傑出的英國女作家，關注鄉紳家庭女性的婚姻和生活，她以女性特有的細致入微的觀察力和活潑風趣的文字，真實地描繪了她周圍世界的小天地。

H. 英文短篇小說《the blue jar》（Isak Dinesen的）中文翻譯。

英國一位富有的老先生，年輕時任過內閣大臣，也當選過議會議員；如今年紀大了，無欲無求，獨愛搜藏青瓷老古董。為此他偕同女兒海琳娜，不惜遠渡重洋到波斯，日本還有中國尋覓愛物。一個寂靜之夜，這對父女坐的輪船進入中國海域時意外失火了。漆黑和混亂之中，別的乘客很快轉移到救生船中，海琳娜卻還在著火的船上，就這樣與老父親斷了聯系。等她逃上甲板，整艘船已被燒毀得差不多了，眼看就要將她葬身火海。這時一位年輕的英國水手出現了，二話不說背起她，安全登上最後那隻被逃生者們慌亂之下遺忘的救生船。黑暗的海面泛起大片磷光，猶如大火從四面八方涌來，追趕吞噬著這兩個亡命者。彼時，二人仰起頭，一顆流星劃過夜空，好像瞬間就要落入他們船里一樣。整整九天過去，兩人才被救上一條荷蘭商船，最後總算回到了英國。

原以為女兒早已葬身火海的老爵士這會是喜極而泣，不能自已。為了讓身心受難的女兒盡早康復，老先生匆匆將她安頓在一個溫泉療養勝地。他還想到，萬一這個在航海業謀生的年輕水手大嘴巴，全世界都會知道海倫娜和一個陌生男人孤男寡女在海上漂了九天，這肯定會讓女兒很不開心。於是老爵士給了水手一大筆錢，並讓他承諾只在另一個半球繼續航海，永遠不再回英國。老先生說，這不正是好人做到底嗎？

海倫娜身體恢復得差不多時，旁人給她講王宮和家族的動態，最後還說了那個救她的年輕水手永遠離開英國的來龍去脈，他們發現海倫娜精神上依舊受那次大難折磨著，而且她變得對世間一切事都不在乎了。她不想回到父親大庄園的城堡，也不想去宮里，或游覽任何一個歐洲怡人小鎮。她唯一想要做的事就是和父親以前一樣，去搜集珍稀青瓷。於是海琳娜開始航海旅行，從一個國家到另一個國家，這次是父親一直陪在左右。

尋找青瓷時，海琳娜跟賣瓷器的人說，她正在找一種特別的藍色，願意為之付出任何代價。她買過數千隻青瓷罐和瓷碗，但過一段時間就擱到一旁，嘆道：「唉，這不是我想要的那種藍呢。」 陪她航行多年的父親勸道：也許根本就沒有這種顏色存在吧。「天啊，爸爸，你怎能說這種喪氣話呢？曾幾何時我們的世界一切都是藍藍的，肯定會有那麼一些遺留下來啊。」海琳娜十分堅定地說。

遠在英國的兩位姑媽都懇求外甥女回家，並要給她介紹好人家。但海琳娜回答說：「不不不，我必須去航行。親愛的姑姑啊，你們一定都知道，有學之士宣揚大海是有底的，那是謬論胡說。正好相反，大自然中最高貴的海水，肯定是貫通大地的，所以我們的地球實際上像一個肥皂泡般浮在宇宙之中。而在另一個半球有這么一艘船航行著，我的船必須跟它齊驅並駕。在深海之中，兩只船像是彼此的倒影。我乘的船正下方就是前面所說的那艘船，它就在地球的另一面行駛著。你們從沒見過會有一條很大很大的魚在船底之下，如一個暗黑的影子在海里隨船而行吧。但我們這兩艘船恰恰就是這樣，不管我坐的船在地球大部分區域穿行到哪，另一個半球那隻船就像影子一樣，被牽引著來回移動，這和潮水在月亮的引力下漲起退去是差不多的道理。如果我停止航行，那些靠航海謀生的出身不好的水手怎麼辦？」 海琳娜還說：「我得告訴你們一個秘密，在最後的最後，我坐的船會下沉，直到地球中心，另一隻船也會在同一時間沉下來，就如通常人們說的沉沒。但我可以向你們保證，在海里沒有你上我下，因為在世界的最中心，我們兩只船會相遇在一起。

一年又一年過去，老爵士作古了，海倫娜也變成失聰的老太太，卻未曾停止航行。大清帝國的頤和園被入侵洗劫後，有位商人給她帶來了一個古老的青瓷罐。一看到它海琳娜就發出一聲可怕的尖叫：「就是它！」她哭喊著：「我總算找到了！這是真正的藍！瞧，它真讓人暈眩！天啊，它清新得像一陣柔美的微風，又深邃得好如一個玄妙的秘密，還圓潤得像我說過的什麼來著？」海琳娜雙手顫顫巍巍，將瓷罐捧入懷里，靜靜凝思著，六個小時就這么過去了。其後她對私人醫生和女伴說：「現在我可以死去了。到時請把我的心取出來，安放在這個青瓷罐里，那樣一切都回到最初的模樣。我的世界會化作藍色，在這個純藍天地的最中心，我的心純潔而自由，還會溫柔地跳動，像輪船航海的尾波輕輕哼唱，像槳葉劃動的水滴盈盈滑落。」一小會兒後她問到：「相信只要懷著耐心，一切美好都能重現——這不是一件很杏糊的事嗎？」 不久之後，老太太離開了人世。