31 A lovable eccentric

True eccentrics never deliberately set out to draw attention to themselves.

真正古怪的人从不有意引人注意。

They disregard social conventions without being conscious that they are doing anything extraordinary.

他们不顾社会习俗,意识不到自己所作所为有什么特殊之处。

This invariably wins them the love and respect of others, for they add colour to the dull routine of everyday life.

他们总能赢得别人的喜爱与尊敬,因为他们给平淡单一的日常生活增添了色彩。

Up to the time of his death, Richard Colson was one of the most notable figures in our town.

理查德·科尔森生前是我们镇上最有名望的人之一。

He was a shrewd and wealthy businessman, but most people in the town hardly knew anything about this side of his life.

他是个精明能干、有钱的商人,但镇上大部分人对他生活中的这一个方面几乎一无所知。

He was known to us all as Dickie and his eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.

大家都管他叫迪基。早在他去世前很久，他的古怪行为就成了传奇故事了。