English Original
John was waiting for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with the rose. Thirteen months ago, in a Florida library, he took a book off the shelf and found himself intrigued by the notes in the margin. The soft handwriting reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.
He discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis Maynell. With effort, he located her address and wrote her a letter, introducing himself and inviting her to correspond.
Over the next year, they grew to know each other through letters. A romance was budding. John requested a photograph, but she refused, believing that if he truly cared, her appearance wouldn't matter. They scheduled their first meeting for 7:00 pm at Grand Central Station in New York.
"You'll recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel." So at 7:00, he was in the station looking for the girl with the red rose.
A young woman in a green suit approached, her figure long and slim, her eyes blue as flowers. He almost stepped towards her, but then he saw Hollis Maynell—a woman well past forty. The young woman walked quickly away. He felt torn in two, his desire to follow her keen, yet his longing for the woman whose spirit had truly companioned him was deep.
He did not hesitate. Squaring his shoulders, he said, "I'm John, and you must be Miss Maynell. I'm so glad you could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"
The woman smiled. "I don't know what this is about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit begged me to wear this rose. She said if you asked me to dinner, I should tell you she is waiting in the restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"
It's not difficult to admire Miss Maynell's wisdom. The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.
中文翻译
约翰正在等待一位他知其心、却未谋其面的女孩——那位以玫瑰为记的女孩。十三个月前，在佛罗里达州的一个图书馆里，他从书架上取下一本书，立刻被页边的批注深深吸引。那柔和的笔迹折射出一个善思的灵魂和深刻的见解。
他发现了书的前主人的名字：霍利斯·梅奈尔小姐。几经周折，他找到了她的地址，并给她写了一封信介绍自己，邀请她通信。
在接下来的一年里，他们通过书信逐渐了解彼此。一段浪漫情愫悄然萌芽。约翰索要照片，但她拒绝了。她认为，如果他真心在乎，她的容貌便无关紧要。他们约定在纽约中央车站晚上七点进行第一次会面。
"你会认出我的，"她写道，"凭我翻领上佩戴的红玫瑰。"于是七点钟，他就在车站里寻找那位佩戴红玫瑰的女孩。
一位身着绿色套装的年轻女子向他走来，她身材修长，眼眸如花般湛蓝。他几乎不由自主地朝她迈近一步，但就在此刻，他看见了霍利斯·梅奈尔——一位年过四十的妇人。那位年轻女子快步走开了。他感到自己仿佛被撕成了两半，一方面强烈渴望追随那位年轻女子，另一方面又深深眷恋着那位在精神上真正陪伴并支持过他的妇人。
他没有犹豫。他挺直肩膀说道："我是约翰，您一定是梅奈尔小姐吧。很高兴您能来见我；我可以请您共进晚餐吗？"
妇人笑了。"孩子，我不知道这是怎么回事，"她答道，"但那位穿绿色套装的年轻女士恳求我把这朵玫瑰别在外套上。她说，如果你邀请我共进晚餐，我就告诉你，她在街对面的餐厅里等你。她说这是一种考验！"
不难钦佩梅奈尔小姐的智慧。一颗心的本质，在于它如何回应那些并不吸引人的事物。