What had happened to all that time? Why had it passed so quickly, and why hadn’t he spent more of it with her? Why hadn’t he held her close and told her more often that he loved her? He cursed himself as a tear came from the corner of his eye, ran down his cheek, then dropped onto the note. He stiffened and wiped his face with the back of his hand. There was no need for remorse or regret, he told himself. In a few moments he would join her and at that time would express his undying love and devotion.
After setting the note ablaze he dropped it into an ashtray and watched it burn. For a time the names cast moving shadows on the walls of the darkened room, then they nickered and died out. The colonel dropped the cigarette to the floor and ground it out with his heel, then clutched the photograph to his breast, removed a pistol from his pocket, placed the barrel in his mouth and pulled the trigger. In the ashtray a small portion of the note remained. Where it had been wetted by his tear it had failed to bum, and on that scrap of paper were the words "died yesterday."
在伦敦的俄国使馆，一位克格勃上校一边吞云吐雾，一边读着一张手写的字条，这已是他第三次在读这张字条了。便条的作者不必表示遗憾了，上校这样想着。纠正这个错误其实很容易。他只要一会儿工夫便会做到。想到这里，他的脸上不禁浮现出一种可怕的笑容，他内心深处既伤感而又快活。上校从沉思中游离出来，将注意力集中到桌子上的一个像框上，他的妻子是位美丽的女人，当想起他们成婚的那一天时他不禁自语道。那已是43年前的事情了，可却是他一生中最自豪最幸福的日子。
那些时候都发生了什么？为什么时光流逝得如此之快？为什么他没能将更多的时光用来陪伴她？为什么他没能将她搂紧，更多次地告诉她他爱她？他于是开始诅咒起自己，泪水也忍不住夺眶而出，流过面颊，最后滴落在字条上。这时，他板起了面孔，用手背揩去了眼泪。已经没有必要来自责与悔恨了，他对自己说道。很快他不就会与她团聚了吗？到那时，他将再向她表达他永恒的爱与忠心。
他点燃了字条，将它扔进了烟灰缸中，看着它慢慢地燃烧起来。在火苗的映衬下，这间漆黑的屋子里的四壁一时变得影影绰绰。不一会儿，火苗成了星星点点，渐渐地熄灭了。上校把香烟扔在了地板上，用后脚跟碾灭，随后抓起照片放在自己的胸前。他从衣兜中掏出了一把手枪，将枪筒放进自己的嘴中，接着扣动扳机。在烟灰缸中还残留着一小片字条，由于被上校的泪水浸湿而未能燃尽。在这块残片上有这样几个字“昨天去世”。
相关单词：puffed
puffed解释：adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧
puffed例句：
He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-
相关单词：stiffened
stiffened解释：加强的
stiffened例句：
He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。
相关单词：remorse
remorse解释：n.痛恨，悔恨，自责
remorse例句：
She had no remorse
He has shown no remorse for his actions.他对自己的行为没有任何悔恨之意。
相关单词：ablaze
ablaze解释：adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的
ablaze例句：
The main street was ablaze with lights in the evening.晚上，那条主要街道灯火辉煌。
Forests are sometimes set ablaze by lightning.森林有时因雷击而起火。
相关单词：ashtray
ashtray解释：n.烟灰缸
ashtray例句：
He knocked out his pipe in the big glass ashtray.他在大玻璃烟灰缸里磕净烟斗。
She threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray.她把烟头扔进烟灰缸。
相关单词：bum
bum解释：n.臀部；流浪汉，乞丐；vt.乞求，乞讨
bum例句：
A man pinched her bum on the train so she hit him.在火车上有人捏她屁股，她打了那人。
The penniless man had to bum a ride home.那个身无分文的人只好乞求搭车回家。
相关单词：scrap
scrap解释：n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废
scrap例句：
A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
