Hector was always late. He was late for work. He was late for dinner. He was even late for his own birthday party.
赫克托总是迟到。上班迟到，吃晚饭迟到，甚至连自己的生日派对也迟到。
One Saturday he went to a thrift shop. He wanted a lamp. But he saw a tall clock in the corner. It was made of dark wood. It had a round white face and gold hands.
一个星期六，他去了一家旧货店。他想买一盏灯。可他在角落里看到了一只高大的钟。它是深色木头做的，有一个白色的圆钟面和金色的指针。
"How much is the clock?" he asked.
“这只钟多少钱？”他问。
"Twelve dollars," said the woman at the desk. "It works well. But it is a little strange."
“十二美元，”柜台后的女人说，“它走得很好，不过有点奇怪。”
"Strange how?" asked Hector.
“怎么个奇怪法？”赫克托问。
"Just see," she said, and she smiled.
“你自己看吧，”她说着笑了笑。
Hector paid and took the clock home. It was heavy. He put it in the hall, next to the door. He liked the soft tick, tick, tick.
赫克托付了钱，把钟带回了家。它很重。他把它放在门边的过道里。他喜欢那轻轻的滴答、滴答、滴答声。
The next morning he woke up at seven. He looked at his phone. It said 7:30. Then he looked at the clock. It said 7:40.
第二天早上，他七点醒来。他看了看手机，上面是7:30。再看那只钟，上面是7:40。
"Hmm," said Hector. "Ten minutes fast." He opened the glass door and moved the hands back. Now the clock and the phone said the same time.
“嗯，”赫克托说，“快了十分钟。”他打开玻璃门，把指针往回拨。这下钟和手机显示的时间一样了。
The next day the clock was fast again. Ten minutes fast, one more time. Hector moved the hands back again.
第二天，钟又快了，又是快十分钟。赫克托又把指针拨了回去。
On the third day it was ten minutes fast again. "This is a bad clock," he said. "It is broken." He was cross, but he did not take it back. He liked the wood and the gold hands.
到了第三天，它还是快十分钟。“这是只坏钟，”他说，“它坏了。”他有点生气，可是没有把它退回去。他喜欢那木头和金色的指针。
That night he looked at the clock more closely. He opened the little door at the back. Inside the box, there was a piece of paper. It was old and yellow. Someone stuck it to the wood with tape.
那天晚上，他更仔细地看了看这只钟。他打开背后的小门。箱子里有一张纸，又旧又黄，有人用胶带把它粘在木头上。
Hector read the paper. It said:
赫克托读了那张纸。上面写着：
"This clock is ten minutes fast. Please do not fix it. It is for my daughter. She is always late. With this clock, she is never late."
“这只钟快十分钟。请不要把它调回去。它是为我女儿准备的。她总是迟到。有了这只钟，她就再也不会迟到了。”
Hector laughed. He read the note again. Then he laughed more.
赫克托笑了。他又读了一遍字条，笑得更厉害了。
"I am the same," he said to the clock. "I am always late too."
“我跟她一样，”他对钟说，“我也总是迟到。”
Who was the daughter? He did not know. Maybe she was a grandmother now. Maybe the clock worked for her very well. He put the paper back. He closed the little door.
那个女儿是谁呢？他不知道。也许她现在已经是位奶奶了。也许这只钟对她很管用。他把纸放了回去，关上了小门。
On Monday morning he looked at the clock. It said 7:40. He looked at his phone. It said 7:30.
星期一早上，他看了看钟，上面是7:40。他看了看手机，上面是7:30。
"You are a smart clock," said Hector. This time he did not move the hands.
“你是只聪明的钟，”赫克托说。这一次，他没有去拨指针。
He ate his breakfast fast. He found his keys at once. He put on his coat. "It is late," he said to himself. "I must go now!"
他很快地吃完了早饭，一下子就找到了钥匙，穿上了外套。“不早了，”他自言自语，“我得马上走了！”
He ran out of the door. He caught the early bus. It was not full. He found a good seat by the window.
他跑出了家门，赶上了早班公交车。车上人不多，他在窗边找了个好座位。
He came to the office at 8:40. His work started at nine. The hall was empty. Even the cleaner was not there yet.
他到办公室时是8:40。他九点才上班。走廊里空荡荡的，连清洁工都还没来。
At 8:55 his boss came in. She saw Hector at his desk. He had a cup of tea and a big smile.
8:55，他的老板走了进来。她看见赫克托坐在办公桌前，手边一杯茶，脸上一个大大的笑容。
"Hector!" she said. "You are early. What happened?"
“赫克托！”她说，“你来得这么早。出什么事了？”
"I have a new clock," said Hector.
“我有了一只新钟，”赫克托说。
"It must be a good clock," said his boss.
“那一定是只好钟，”老板说。
"It is the best," said Hector. "But it is a secret. Please do not tell my clock."
“它是最好的，”赫克托说，“不过这是个秘密。请别告诉我的钟。”
