After his long travel, the flat-vowelled voice of the bookstall clerk offering the latest novel sounded pleasant-pleasant the independent answers of a bearded guard, and the stodgy farewell sayings of a man and wife.

• 经过了长期旅行以后，书摊上书贩子推荐新出版小说的那种平板音调很悦耳--一个长着胡髭的路警的富有自信的答话，以及一对夫妇的干巴巴的话别，听起来也挺舒服。