Why did Harry decide to give up his little game?

　　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. If you expressed

　　doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub

　　some into your skin. The 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.

　　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. 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.

　　Harry does not 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 "Myrolite" was a hard, amber-like substance which

　　could be used to remove freckles. This 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 him.

　　Intoxicated by his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud. 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. He was glad to get away with a mere 20 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 cosmetics.

　　New words and expressions 生词与短语

　　permanent

　　adj. 永久的

　　tint

　　v. 给……染色

　　delicate

　　adj. 淡色的

　　shade

　　n. 色度

　　observant

　　adj. 观察力敏锐的

　　dispel

　　v. 驱散，消除

　　outlandish

　　adj. 稀奇古怪的

　　acquisition

　　n. 获得

　　cosmetic

　　n. 化妆品

　　outrageous

　　adj. 无理的，令人不能容忍的

　　fanciful

　　adj. 想像出来的

　　insoluble

　　adj. 不可溶解的

　　prompt

　　v. 敦促，激励

　　exclusive

　　adj. 专售高档商品的

　　syllable

　　n. 音节

　　bewilderment

　　n. 迷惑，糊涂

　　freckle

　　n. 雀斑

　　evidently

　　adv. 显然的，明显地

　　weird

　　adj. 奇异的，古怪的

　　concoction

　　n. 调制品

　　intoxicate

　　v. 陶醉，得意忘形

　　blank

　　adj. 无表情的，茫然的

　　discreetly

　　adv. 谨慎地

　　clutch

　　v. 抓住

　　adorn

　　v. 装饰，打扮