三十九级台阶 01

1 The man who died

I returned to my flat at about three o'clock on that May afternoon very unhappy with life.

I have been back in Britain for three months and I was already bored.

The weather was bad, the people were dull, and the amusements of London seemed as exciting as a glass of cold water.

'Richard Hannay, ' I told myself, 'you have made a mistake, and you had better do something about it. '

It made me angry when I thought of the years I had spent in Africa.

I had spent those years working very hard and making money.

Not a lot of money, but enough for me.

I had left Scotland when I was six years old, and I had never been home since.

For years I had dreamt of coming home to Britain and spending the rest of my life there, but I was disappointed with the place after the first week.