Audiobook Dictation: “So I wrote to the advertiser…”

So I wrote to the advertiser.

於是我給登廣告的人寫了信。

The reply was written in a sprawling feminine hand.

回信是用一種潦草的女性筆跡寫的。

It appeared that the terms would be five guineas; but there was no mention of the length of time which that fee would cover.

看來費用是五基尼；但並沒提這筆錢包含多長時間。

I might arrive, it seemed, on Christmas Eve, but there was no hint as to when I was to go, if ever.

看來我可以在聖誕前夜到達，可何時離開——如果還能離開的話——卻隻字未提。

The whole thing was a trifle odd.

整件事都有點古怪。

There was nothing said about the sort of accommodation which would be provided, nothing about the kind of establishment which was maintained, or the table which was kept.

關於會提供什麼樣的住處、那是怎樣一戶人家、伙食如何，都隻字未提。

No references were offered or asked for.

既沒提供推薦信，也沒要求推薦信。

Now it is a remarkable thing that I have always had an extraordinary predilection for the name Madge.

說來也怪，我一向對「瑪姬」這個名字有一種特別的偏愛。

And yet, from my boyhood upward, I have desired to meet one. Here was an opportunity offered.

然而，從小我就一直盼著能遇到一位叫這名字的人。現在機會來了。