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● Any idea：前面省略了Have you等字样。you’d=you would。日常对话中，subjunctive mood的用场是很大的。市长是否退隐，尚不得而知，故用虚拟式。
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● made是过去分词。characteristically：这一点很能代表他说话的特色。elusive：闪烁其辞，使人捉摸不定。
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● persistent：坚持的，打破沙锅问到底。
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Skeffington’s eyes had opened, the silver head had lifted, and once more the reporters met the deadpan look. “I don’t know whether you’d know them or not.” he had said thoughtfully. “The Bible, which is a book composed of two parts, commonly, called the Old and the New Testaments. The poems and plays of Shakespeare, an Englishman. And during the winter months I would also take the paper which you represent.”
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● 市长对新闻记者说，他要到乡间去隐居读书。敌党的报纸记者紧紧地追问他读什么书。他本来有点梦想的样子，现在他眼睛睁开，头抬起来了。记者们所看见的，又是他的板板的没有表情的脸了。
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● deadpan：无表情的；呼应前文gazing at the reporters expressionlessly。
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● 他答复的话很简单，但是很刻薄。《圣经》和莎翁是为英语国家家喻户晓的，他瞧不起那记者，故意替他解释：圣经是怎么样的一本书，莎士比亚是何国的人。
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● the paper which you represent：阁下所代表的那张报纸。
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The reporter had said warily. “Thanks for the compliment, Governor. I suppose there’s some special reason.”
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Skeffington had nodded. “During the long winter months a glowing fire might be welcome,” he had said, “and I have found from long experience that your paper burns very well. Makes good kindling. I don’t imagine, by the way, that most people are aware of that. If they were, your paper’s very small circulation might be substantially increased. Any more questions, gentlemen?”
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● warily：小心翼翼地。这个老政客忽然赞美起敌党的报纸来了，恐怕话中有因。
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● compliment：（隐含的）赞美，捧场。
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● burns（不及物动词）very well：容易着火。
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● Makes的主语It省略。kindling：引火物。他所以要定这份报纸原来是拿它来作生火之用。
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● by the way：顺便可以一提的。“我以为，很多人不知道贵报有这点长处。”原文作：“我不以为很多人知道……。”imagine在这里的意思很轻，同think，suppose的用法相仿。
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● If they were：假如他们知道（were aware）。very small circulation：很小的销路。substantially increased：着实增加。大家都要来订你们的报纸来引火生炉子了。
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● gentlemen：各位先生，指各报记者。这个问题已经充分得到解答，别的还有什么问题吗？
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It had been a typical enough interview, save for the suggestion of retirement. None of Skeffington’s opponents quite believed in this, but on the other hand, neither could they afford to discount it. On the whole, any hint of this kind was felt to be encouraging rather than otherwise, especially when related to certain other signs. For example, there were the heartening rumors of Skeffington’s ill health: among the true optimists it was confidently whispered that a mysterious disease was devouring his brain bit by bit, so that now there occurred intervals in every day during which he reverted to the habits of his childhood and expressed a desire to play marbles or hide-and-seek. The newspaper whose combustibility Skeffington had praised offered support of a more oblique kind. It began to run editorials reminding the voters that while the life span of man undoubtedly had been prolonged, the problem of senectitude had by no means been conquered, and that aged men in positions of public trust could constitute a definite hazard.
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● interview：访问。typical enough：有足够代表性的。他往常跟记者们的谈话，也是语带刻薄的。此次谈话若有什么与以前不同之处，那就是他提到了退休（retirement）。save意即except，但save较古雅。
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● discount it：对于此话半信半疑，把这句话打折扣。neither could they afford：如不相信此话，对他们自己也有害处。
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● any hint of this kind：任何这一类的暗示（关于他的退休）。
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● encouraging rather than otherwise：他的政敌觉得有鼓励的作用，此种作用大于别种作用。related是过去分词，形容hint。他自己既暗示要退休，这种暗示同别种迹象（signs）联系起来时，政敌们更有跃跃欲试取而代之之意。
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● heartening和前面的encouraging相仿，都是从他的政敌的立场说话的。optimists也是政敌之中的乐观主义者。rumors：谣言。
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● it was confidently whispered中的it是代替后面的that a mysterious…这个clause。
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● devouring：吞噬。there occurred中的there和普通there is中的there相仿，没有什么特别意义。intervals：短时期。reverted to：回复到。play marbles：玩（彩石或玻璃的）弹子。hide-and-seek：捉迷藏。
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