My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study. Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green, an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance. If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud.
    我的表哥，哈里，在他的书房里总是摆放着一个形状古怪的大瓶子。尽管那只瓶子呈淡绿色，但是细心的客人都很快发现它装了一种粘稠、发灰的物质。如果你问哈里瓶里装了什么，他就会告诉你是香水泥。
    PS: Despite the fact that, 尽管
    PS++: If you were to do, was和were加to，表示与将来事实相反；was或者were to have done, 表示与过去事实相反。

    If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have. The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating. Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.
    如果你表示了怀疑或惊讶，他立刻会请你闻一闻，然后在你皮肤上抹一点。这一简单的实验会打散你所有的疑虑，瓶子里真的装着香水泥。哈里是如何得到这瓶香水泥的，这是个有趣的故事，哈里很喜欢跟别人讲。而且，得到这瓶香水泥还治好了他多年来的一个坏习惯。
    PS: come into the possession of, 得到、占有

    Harry used to consider it a great joke to go into expensive cosmetic shops and make outrageous requests for goods that do not exist. He would invent fanciful names on the spot. On entering a shop, he would ask for a new perfume called ‘Scented Shadow’ or for ‘insoluble bath cubes’. If a shop assistant told him she had not heard of it, he would pretend to be considerably put out.
    哈里曾经认为走进一家名贵的化妆品店，点一些根本不存在的商品是一件很荒唐的事情。他会当场编造一些稀奇古怪的货名。当他一进到店里，他就会要一种叫做“香影”的香水，或者什么“新型肥皂”的东西。如果店员说她没听过的话，哈里就假装很遗憾的样子。
    PS: on the spot, 当场

    He loved to be told that one of his imaginary products was temporarily out of stock and he would faithfully promise to call again at some future date, but of course he never did. How Harry managed to keep a straight face during these performances is quite beyond me.
    他喜欢听售货员说他要求的奇怪产品现在没货，然后他会煞有介事地许诺改天再来。当然，他不会再来了。我实在想不出哈里是怎么装得这么像的。
    PS: out of stock, 没货、库存不足

    Harry doesn’t need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. One day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for ‘Myrolite’. The shop assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each syllable. When the woman shook her head in bewilderment, Harry went on to explain that ‘myrilite’ was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to remove freckles.
    哈里无需暗示就会跟你解释他是如何买到这瓶宝贵的香水泥的。一天，他去了一家伦敦的高级商店，想要“密诺莱特”。店员一脸懵逼，哈里慢慢地、一字一顿地重复了一遍。当店员继续一脸懵地摇头时，哈里继续说“密诺莱特”是一种硬的、类似琥珀的东西，可以去雀斑。
    PS: in bewilderment, 懵逼

    The explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who searched shelf after shelf. She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but none of them met with Harry’s requirements. When Harry put on his act of being mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for them. Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.
    这套说辞显然是对方相信了，于是她开始翻箱倒柜地寻找。她拿出各种奇怪的化妆品，但没有一样能符合哈里的要求。当哈里表现出不高兴的样子时，店员答应为他订货。哈里正是得意于他的成功，于是要求要买香水泥。
    PS: put on one’s act of, 某人表现出…

    He expected the assistant to look at him in blank astonishment. However, it was his turn to be surprised, for the woman’s eyes immediately lit up and she fetched several bottles which she placed on the counter for Harry to inspect. For once, Harry had to admit defeat. He picked up what seemed to be the smallest bottle and discreetly asked the price.
    他期望店员一脸懵地看着他。但是，出乎他的意料，店员眼里立马冒出了光，她抓了几个瓶子放在柜台上让哈里挑选。哈里只好认输，他拿起看上去最小的那个瓶子，小心翼翼地询问价格。

    He was glad to get away with a mere twenty pounds and he beat a hasty retreat, clutching the precious bottle under his arm. From then on, Harry decided that this little game he had invented might prove to be expensive. The curious bottle, which now adorns the bookcase in his study, was his first and last purchase of rare cosmitics.
    他很庆幸花了区区20磅就脱身了。他把那只宝贵的瓶子藏在腋下，赶紧溜了。在那之后，哈里认识到自己发明的恶作剧蛮贵的。这个奇形怪状的小瓶子，现在正躺在他书房的书架上，是他第一次，也是最后一次买的稀有化妆品。