"Now there's one old gentleman, for instance," she told me, "he comes here almost every week and samples each one of the puddings, though he never buys anything, and I suspect he never will. I remember him from last year before that, too. Well, let him come if he wants it, and welcome to it. And what's more, I hope there are a lot more stores where he can go and get his share份额. He looks as if he needed it all right, and I suppose they can afford it."

She was still speaking when an elderly gentleman limped up to the counter and began looking closely at the row of puddings with great interest.

"Why, that's the very gentleman I've been telling you about," whispered the shop girl." Just watch him now." And then turning to him:" Would you like to sample them, sir? Here's spoon for you to use."

The elderly gentleman, who was poorly but neatly dressed, accepted the spoon and began eagerly to sample one after another of the puddings, only braking off occasionally to wipe his red eyes with a large torn handkerchief.

"This is quite good."

"This is not bad either, but a little too heavy."

All the time it was quite evident that he sincerely believed that he might eventually buy one of these puddings, and I am positive我相信 that he did not for a moment feel that he was in any way cheating the store. Poor old chap! Probably he had come down in the world and this sampling was all that was left him from the time when he could afford to come and select his favorite pudding.

afford
vt. have the money for 　担负得起
elderly
a. near old age 　上了年纪
limp
n. walk with an uneven step　跛行
counter 词缀表反的
n. 柜台
spoon
n. 调羹
eagerly
ad. with strong interest or impatient desire　热切地，急切地
occasionally
ad. now and then; at times 　偶尔；间或
occasional
a.
heavy
a. (of food, etc.) too rich to digest easily　（食物等）太油腻而不易消化
evident
a. plain and clear (to the eye or mind)　明显的，明白的 n. evidence
sincerely
ad. honestly　诚恳地 adj. sincere n. sincerity
eventually
ad. in the end 　终于，最终
positive 反义词 negative
a. sure, certain　有把握的，确信的
cheat cheat(deceive/trick/mislead) sb. into doing sth.
vt. deceive　欺骗
chap
n. man; boy; fellow　男人；小伙子；家伙