NCE(III) Lesson 34: What Was the Happy Discovery

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs...since the payment is pure love.
- Mildred B. Vermont





Lesson 34:
What was the 'happy discovery' 幸運的發現?

Antique shops exert a peculiar fascination on a great many people. The more expensive kind of antique shop where rare objects are beautifully displayed in glass cases to keep them free from dust is usually a forbidding place. But no one has to muster up courage to enter a less pretentious antique shop. There is always hope that in its labyrinth of musty, dark, disordered rooms a real rarity will be found amongst the piles of assorted junk that littered the floors.

No one discovers a rarity by chance. A truly dedicated bargain hunter must have patience, and above all, the ability to recognize the worth of something when he sees it. To do this, he must be at least as knowledgeable as the dealer. Like a scientist bent on making a discovery, he must cherish the hope that one day he will be amply rewarded.

My old friend, Frank Halliday, is just such a person. He has often described to me how he picked up a masterpiece for a mere $50. One Saturday morning, Frank visited an antique shop in my neighbourhood. As he had never been there before, he found a great deal to interest him. The morning passed rapidly and Frank was about to leave when he noticed a large packing case lying on the floor. The morning passed rapidly and Frank just come in, but that he could not be bothered to open it. Frank begged him to do so and the dealer reluctantly prised it open. The contents were disappointing. Apart from an interesting-looking carved dagger, the box was full of crockery, much of it broken. Frank gently lifted the crockery out of the box and suddenly noticed a miniature painting at the bottom of the packing case. As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it. Glancing at it briefly, the dealer told him that it was worth $50. Frank could hardly conceal his excitement, for he knew that he had made a real discovery. The tiny painting proved to be an unknown masterpiece by Correggio and was worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.

所有跟帖： 

• 畫家Correggio簡介： -美語世界- ♀ (1449 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:37:06

• Good one! thanks for sharing. Happy mother day! -任我為- ♂ (75 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:51:10

• 謝謝任我為，周末快樂。 -美語世界- ♀ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:53:27

• Happy Mother's Day - thanks for the lovely picture/music -billnet- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:01:27

• Thank you. Have a nice weekend. -美語世界- ♀ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:08:39

• nice picture, sweet music to which a person is -billnet- ♂ (51 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:58:42

• 感謝billnet清晰的英語朗誦。周末愉快。 -美語世界- ♀ (120 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:07:50

• It's great and this is also the first time I know -billnet- ♂ (60 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:14:58

• My pleasure. Enjoy your weekend. -美語世界- ♀ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:16:41

• Like the quote, and enjoyed listening to your reading. thx! -任我為- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:48:16

• thank you and glad you like it. -billnet- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 08:59:52

• Look here, a group of art lovers. -走馬讀人- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:38:21

• 問好。周末快樂。 -美語世界- ♀ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 09:40:58

• hi 走馬, Correggio is far from us but you are near -billnet- ♂ (20 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 11:43:46

• Correct: CorREggio is close to REnwuowei to REmbrandt -走馬讀人- ♂ (11 bytes) () 05/10/2009 postreply 11:13:07

• 回複：NCE(III) Lesson 34: What Was the Happy Discovery -eyeyey- ♀ (225 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 10:30:53

• Eyeyey, you have sharp ears -billnet- ♂ (488 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 11:41:17

• Hopefully, it isn't swine flu -eyeyey- ♀ (30 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 12:37:22

• don't worry, it isn't swine flu :-) -billnet- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/09/2009 postreply 14:37:57

• Your reading is always as clear as it can be. -活著樂著- ♀ (0 bytes) () 05/11/2009 postreply 06:47:08

• thank you ... -billnet- ♂ (0 bytes) () 05/11/2009 postreply 07:51:00