小说原文
'How are you?' he would say to Paul, fifty times a day. 'Quite well, Sir, thank you,' Paul would answer. 'Shake hands,' would be Toots's next advance.
“您好吗？”他会一天向保罗问五十次。 “很好，先生，谢谢您，”保罗会这样回答。 “握握手吧，”这是图茨的第二句话。
Which Paul, of course, would immediately do. Mr Toots generally said again, after a long interval of staring and hard breathing, 'How are you?' To which Paul again replied, 'Quite well, Sir, thank you.'
保罗自然立刻那么做了。图茨先生在长久的注视与喘气之后，一般又会再问道，“您好吗？”保罗又会再次回答，“很好，先生，谢谢您！”
One evening Mr Toots was sitting at his desk, oppressed by correspondence, when a great purpose seemed to flash upon him. He laid down his pen, and went off to seek Paul, whom he found at last, after a long search, looking through the window of his little bedroom.
有一天晚上，图茨先生正坐在他的书桌前面，被书信弄得很累，这时他似乎突然想到一个很大的主意。他放下笔，跑出去寻找保罗。他通过保罗小卧室中的窗子，经过长久的探察之后，终于把他找到了。
'I say!' cried Toots, speaking the moment he entered the room, lest he should forget it; 'what do you think about?'
“听我说！”图茨一走进房间就立刻大声说道，唯恐他会把话忘掉；“您在想什么？”
'Oh! I think about a great many things,' replied Paul.
“哦！我在想好多好多事情，”保罗回答道。
'Do you, though?' said Toots, appearing to consider that fact in itself surprising. 'If you had to die,' said Paul, looking up into his face - Mr Toots started, and seemed much disturbed.
“真的吗？”图茨说道，好像他认为这个事实本身就是令人惊奇似的。 “如果您必须死去的话，——”保罗仰起头来注视着他的脸，说道。 图茨先生吃了一惊，似乎十分不安。
'Don't you think you would rather die on a moonlight night, when the sky was quite clear, and the wind blowing, as it did last night?'
“——那么您是不是认为最好是在一个有月光笼罩着的夜间死去，而当时天空又十分清澈，风像昨天那样吹着？”
Mr Toots said, looking doubtfully at Paul, and shaking his head, that he didn't know about that.
图茨先生满脸疑云地看着保罗，摇摇头说，他不知道这一点。
'Not blowing, at least,' said Paul, 'but sounding in the air like the sea sounds in the shells. It was a beautiful night. When I had listened to the water for a long time, I got up and looked out. There was a boat over there, in the full light of the moon; a boat with a sail.'
“或者不是吹着，”保罗说道，“而是在空中响着，就像海水在贝壳中响着一样。那是个美丽的夜。我听海水听了很久，就起床向外眺望。在明亮的月光下面，海上有一只小船；一条挂帆的小船。”
The child looked at him so steadfastly, and spoke so earnestly, that Mr Toots, feeling himself called upon to say something about this boat, said, 'Smugglers.' But with an impartial remembrance of there being two sides to every question, he added, 'or Preventive.'
孩子看着他的时候是那么聚精会神，说话的时候是那么认真恳切，因此图茨觉得自己务必说点有关这只小船的话才好，于是就说，“这是走私船。”但他毫无偏见地想到任何问题都有两个方面，就又补充说道，“或者是缉私船。”
'A boat with a sail,' repeated Paul, 'in the full light of the moon. The sail like an arm, all silver. It went away into the distance, and what do you think it seemed to do as it moved with the waves?'
“一条挂帆的小船，”保罗重复说道，“在明亮的月光下面。那张帆像只胳膊，全是银色的。它驶向远方；当它乘着海浪前进的时候，您想它似乎是要做什么呢？”
'Pitch,' said Mr Toots.
“俯冲然后仰浮，”图茨先生说道。
'It seemed to beckon,' said the child, 'to beckon me to come! - There she is! There she is!'
“它似乎在招呼，”孩子说道，“在招呼我到它那里去！——她在那里！她在那里！”
Toots was almost beside himself with dismay at this sudden exclamation, after what had gone before, and cried 'Who?'
图茨先生在先前发生的事情之后，听到这突如其来的高喊声，惊愕得不知所以，就喊道：“谁？”
重点解释

注释: advance n. 发展；前进；增长；预付款
vt. 提出；预付；使……前进；将……提前
vi. 前进；进展；上涨
adj. 预先的；先行的
[ 过去式advanced 过去分词advanced 现在分词advancing ]
词组：
in advance adv. 预先，提前
in advance of 超过；在…前面
advance in 进步；改进
with the advance of 随着…的增加；随着(时间)的推移
an advance 预付款
on the advance (物价)在上涨
advance payment 预付款
advance notice 预先通知
advance with the times 与时俱进；与时代发展同步伐
advance booking 预订（机票等）
payment in advance 预付货款
make advances 接近；预付；取得进步
well in advance 大大提前
advance warning 事前警告（警报）
advance development 先期发展；超前掘进
cash advance 预付现金
advance towards 朝…前进
spark advance 点火提前；火花提早
advance guard 军队前卫，先头部队；先锋派
advance with times 与时俱进
例句：
(1) Yes. Did you call in advance?
可以，你事先打过电话了吗？
(2) Sort through some things in advance.
事先准备好要整理的东西。
(3) Sort through some things in advance.
提前就整理好一些东西。
(4) We have received your advance sample.
我们收到了你们的先发样品。
(5) Can I sign up for this course in advance?
我能事先申请上这一课程吗？
(6) The problem is to identify them in advance.
可要提前鉴别出他们却并非易事。
(7) But why had it not been deleted in advance?
但是，为什么不事先被删除？
(8) And it's bound to advance in the coming season.
随着旺季的到来行情必须看涨。

dismay n. 沮丧，灰心；惊慌
vt. 使沮丧；使惊慌
词组：
(1) Jack shakes his head in dismay.
杰克沮丧地摇摇头。
(2) To my dismay, he made the same mistakes.
使我惊讶的是，他又犯了同样的错误。
(3) In face of you, I was really in blank dismay.
面对着你，我真的很无可奈何，真的很伤心。
(4) Much to my dismay, he made the same mistakes.
使我很惊讶的是，他又犯了同样的错误。
(5) She never faces a difficult task with dismay.
面对困难的任务她从不气馁。
(6) I cannot think of such a battle without dismay.
我每一想到这种战争的情形就心惊肉跳。
(7) To his dismay, James saw a tear steal down her cheek.
令詹姆士惊愕的是，他看到一颗泪珠从她“面颊”上悄悄滚落。
(8) Still I turn around and hurt you and cause you dismay.
直到我转身伤害你，真的让你失望了。