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through a muddy construction site—abominable tragedy—her mother died of a broken heart. Mr Hubert sat on Flora's bed and nodded his bald head acknowledging all the offences of life, and wiped his eyes with a violet handkerchief which turned orange—a little parlor trick—when he stuffed it back into his heart-pocket, and continued to nod as he tried to adjust his thick outsole to a pattern of the carpet. He looked now like a not too successful conjuror paid to tell

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真是慘絕人寰的悲劇——她母親因傷心過度而死去。休伯特先生坐在弗洛拉的床上，他那光禿禿的腦袋點了點，承認自己一生所犯的所有過錯，并用一條紫色的手帕擦了擦眼睛，手帕被他塞回心形口袋時變成了橙色——不過是客廳小戲法，他在根據地毯上的圖案調整自己厚厚的鞋底位置時繼續點著頭，此刻，他看起來就像一位不太高明的魔術師，被雇來