Miss Martha is forty years old this year. She has two thousand yuan in the bank, two false teeth and an affectionate heart. There are many women who have missed marriage, but compared with Miss Martha, their conditions are far from perfect.
A customer comes two or three times a week, and Miss Martha gradually takes a fancy to him. He is a middle-aged man with glasses and a neatly trimmed brown beard.
He speaks English with a strong German accent. His clothes are worn out in some places, but they are wrinkled in some places after darning. But his appearance is still very organized and his manners are very considerate.
This customer always buys two old loaves of bread. Fresh bread costs five cents, but old bread costs five cents to buy two. He has never bought anything except old bread.
Once, Miss Martha noticed a reddish-brown stain on his finger. She immediately concluded that the customer was an artist and was very groundbreaking. There is no doubt that he must live in the attic, where he paints, chews old bread and thinks about all kinds of delicious food in Miss Martha's bakery.
When Miss Martha sat down to eat steak, rolls, jam and black tea, she often lamented that she hoped gentle artists could share her delicacies instead of eating hard bread in the attic. Miss Martha's heart, as I told you, is affectionate.
In order to confirm whether she guessed the customer's occupation, she took out a painting she had bought before from the room and put it on the shelf behind the counter.
That's the view of Venice. A magnificent marble palace stands in the foreground of the picture-or, more precisely, by the water. In addition, there are several small gondolas (with a strong hand reaching out to the water and bringing out a wave), with clouds, sky and many bright and dark strokes. It is impossible for an artist not to notice.
Two days later, the customer came.
Please give me two pieces of old bread.
"Madam, your painting is not bad." When she wrapped the bread in paper, the customer said.
"Really?" Miss Martha said that she was very happy to see that her strategy had succeeded. "I love good art and-""No, it's not appropriate to say" artist "so early" "and painting." She changed her mind and said. "Do you think this painting is not bad?"
"This palace," said the customer, "is not very well painted. The perspective is not true. Goodbye, madam. "
He picked up the bread, bowed and left in a hurry.
Yes, he must be an artist. Miss Martha moved the painting back to her room.
How gentle and kind are the eyes behind his glasses! How wide his forehead is! You can judge perspective at a glance-but live on stale bread! However, genius often has to struggle to become famous.
If a genius has a bank deposit of 2,000 yuan, a bakery and a loving heart as the backing, what brilliant achievements art and perspective will achieve-but this is just a daydream, Miss Martha.
Recently, he came and often talked for a while across the container. He seems eager to have a pleasant conversation with Miss Martha.
He has been buying old bread. Never bought cakes, pies or delicious beets in her shop.
She felt that he seemed a little thinner and a little depressed. She wanted to add something delicious to the junk food he bought, but she couldn't muster up the courage. She dare not be bold. She understands the arrogance of artists.
Miss Martha also wore that blue silk vest when she was in the shop. She cooked a mysterious mixture of hot sticks and quicksand in the back room. Many people use this juice for beauty.
One day, the customer came back as usual, tied a nickel on the counter and bought his old bread. When Miss Martha went to get the bread, loud horns and alarm bells sounded outside, and a fire truck rumbled by.
The customer ran to the door and looked around. In this case, everyone will do it. Miss Martha suddenly had a brainwave and seized the opportunity.
There is a pound of fresh butter on the lowest shelf behind the counter. The milkman hasn't delivered it for ten minutes. Miss Martha dug a deep hole in two old breads with a bread cutter, stuffed a large piece of butter in each bread, and then pressed the bread tightly.
When the customer came in again, she had wrapped the bread in paper.
They had a pleasant talk. Miss Martha couldn't help laughing when the customer left, but she was a little worried.
Is she too bold? Will he be unhappy? Absolutely not. Food does not represent language. Butter is not a symbol of indiscretion.
That day, her mind was always spinning about it. She pondered what happened when he discovered the little scam.
He will put down his brush and palette. The painting is dyed with the painting he is painting, and the perspective of that painting must be blameless.
He will pick up dry bread and water for lunch. He will cut a loaf of bread.
Miss Martha's face flushed at this thought. When he eats bread; Do you think of the hand with butter? . Will he?
The doorbell at the front door is annoying. Someone came in noisily.
Miss Martha hurried to the shop. There are two people there. One is a young man with a pipe-she has never seen it, and the other is her artist.
His face was flushed, his hat was pushed behind his head and his hair was messy. He clenched his fist and shook Miss Martha vigorously. Shake it at Miss Martha.
"Fool! (idiot! ) "He shouted at the top of his lungs, and then shouted Towson Dongfu! (it thunders! ) or similar German words.
The young one tried to drag him away.
"I'm not leaving," he said angrily. "I have to explain it to her."
He knocked on Miss Martha's counter.
"You ruined me." Crying quietly, blue eyes almost flashed behind the glasses. "I say to you. You are a nasty old cat! "
Miss Martha leaned weakly on the shelf, one hand pressing the blue silk vest. The young man grabbed his companion by the collar.
"Let's go," he said. "You have been scolded enough." He dragged the furious man out of the door and came back by himself.
"Madam, I think I should tell you the reason for this noise," he said. "This man's name is Bloomberg. He is an architectural graphic designer. He and I work in the same company.
"He is drawing the floor plan of the new town hall. He has been working hard for the king for a month. Prepare to take part in the prize contest. He just finished painting ink yesterday. You know, a draftsman always writes a manuscript with a pencil first. After inking, wipe off the pencil marks with bread crumbs. Old bread is much better than an eraser.
"Bloomberg always buys bread from you. Well, today-well, you see, madam, the butter in it is not-well, the Bloomberg pattern has become waste paper. Can only be cut into sandwiches. "
Miss Martha went into the back room. She took off her blue silk vest and put on a shabby brown serge dress. Then, she poured warm sticks and borax soup into the dustbin outside the window.