学文网At noon that day， I drove back to the villa. Just as I entered the living room， I heard a slight sound coming from the bedroom upstairs―it was the sound of my favorite violin.
一天中午，我开车回到别墅。我刚走进客厅，就听到楼上卧室传来轻微的声响――是我最爱的小提琴的声音。
“Thief！”
I dashed upstairs. Sure enough， as expected， a boy of about 12 years old was petting my violin. The boy had disheveled hair and a thin face， his unfitting coat bulging， seemingly stuffed with something. At first glance， I found a new pair of shoes at the bed missing. It seemed that he was surely a thief.
“一定是小偷！”
我赶紧冲上楼，正如我所料，一个12岁左右的男孩正在抚摸我的小提琴。他头发凌乱，脸庞消瘦，不合身的衣服鼓了起来，好像塞着什么东西。一看床边，我的一双新鞋不见了。看来他真的是个小偷。
Then， I saw his eyes full of fear and despair. My anger was immediately replaced by a smile， I asked， “Are you Mr. Ram’s nephew Rubens？ I’m his butler. Two days ago I heard Mr. Ram say he has a nephew living in the countryside to come. It must be you. You’re really like him！”
这时，我从他眼神中看到了恐惧和绝望。我的愤怒瞬间消逝，并微笑着对他说：“你是拉姆先生的侄子鲁宾斯吗？我是他的管家。两天前听他说有个乡下的侄子要来，肯定就是你了，你和拉姆先生长得真像！”
On hearing my words， the boy was first stunned， but then quickly said， “Has my uncle gone out？ I think I’d better first go out for a walk and visit him again in a while.”
I nodded and asked the boy who was preparing to put down the violin， “Do you like to play the violin so much？”
“Yes， but I’m so poor that I can’t afford it，” the boy replied.
男孩听到我的话先是一怔，然后赶忙说：“我叔叔出去了吗？那我还是先出去走走，一会儿再来拜访他吧。”
我点了点头，看到男孩准备放下小提琴，便问道：“你很喜欢小提琴吗？”
“是的，但是我太穷了买不起小提琴。”男孩回答道。
“Then， I give this violin to you.” The boy looked at me questioningly， but he picked up the violin. Going out to the living room， he suddenly saw on the wall my huge color photo I performed in the Grand Theatre of Sydney. He involuntarily shivered for a moment and ran out without looking back.
“那么，我就把这把琴送给你吧。”男孩疑惑地看看我，但还是拿起了小提琴。走到客厅时，他突然看到墙上的一幅巨大的彩色照片，那是我在悉尼大剧院演奏小提琴时照的。他不由得打了个寒颤，然后头也不回地跑出去了。
I was sure that the boy had understood what happened because no master would decorate the living room with the butler’s photo.
A few years later， at a music competition of senior high school students in Melbourne， I was invited to judge the final. Finally， a violin player called Merritt won the first prize with his solid strength！
我想男孩肯定是知道真相了，因为没有人会用管家的相片装饰客厅。
几年后，我被墨尔本的一所高中邀请去给学生音乐比赛做决赛评委。最后，一名叫做梅里特的小提琴选手凭他的雄厚实力赢得了比赛的第一名。
After the award， Merritt ran to me holding a violin box， his face crimson， asked， “Mr. Brian， do you still know me？ You have given me a violin， which I have been treasuring until today！ Today， I can give back this violin to you without regret...”
It turned out that he was “Mr. Ram’s nephew Rubens”！
Tears welled up in my eyes.
颁奖后，梅里特抱着小提琴盒跑过来，脸上红扑扑的，对我说：“布莱恩先生，您还记得我吗？您送了我一把小提琴，直到今天我一直都很珍爱它！现在，我可以毫无遗憾地把它归还给你了……”
原来他就是“拉姆先生的侄子鲁宾斯”！
泪水涌出了我的眼眶。
villa n. 别墅
dash v. 猛冲；猛撞
pet v. 抚摸
disheveled adj. 凌乱的；不整活的
butler n. 男管家
stun v. 使目瞪口呆；使大吃一惊
questioningly adv. 疑惑地
treasure v. 重视；珍惜；珍视
well up 涌出