薩基/Saki
薩基（Saki，1870-1916），原名赫克托·休·芒羅，英國著名的幽默小說家。曾加入緬甸武裝警衛隊，後作為記者，走遍俄羅斯、波蘭和巴黎。豐富的閱曆和卓越的藝術才華為他的創造打下堅實的基礎。他的作品結構嚴謹，構思巧妙，結局出人意料。《黃昏》《敞開的窗戶》等皆為世界名篇，被各國多種短篇小說選本采用。
“My aunt will be down presently, Mr. Nuttel,”said a very self-possessed young lady of fifteen;“in the meantime you must try and put up with me.”
Framton Nuttel endeavored to say the correct something which should duly flatter the niece of the moment without unduly discounting the aunt that was to come. Privately he doubted more than ever whether these formal visits on a succession of total strangers would do much toward helping the nerve cure which he was supposed to be undergoing.
“I know how it will be,”his sister had said when he was preparing to migrate to this rural retreat;“you will bury yourself down there and not speak to a living soul, and your nerves will be worse than ever from moping. I shall just give you letters of introduction to all the people I know there. Some of them, as far as I can remember, were quite nice.”
Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was presenting one of the letters of introduction, came into the nice division.
“Do you know many of the people round here?”asked the niece, when she judged that they had had sufficient silent communion.
“Hardly a soul,”said Framton.“My sister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and she gave me letters of introduction to some of the people here.”
He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret.
“Then you know practically nothing about my aunt?”pursued the self-possessed young lady.
“Only her name and address,”admitted the caller. He was wondering whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the married or widowed state. An un definable something about the room seemed to suggest masculine habitation.