Burmese Days 缅甸岁月 Chapter 22

Maxwell's death had caused a profound shock in Kyauktada. It would cause a shock throughout the whole of Burma, and the case--'the Kyauktada case, do you remember?'--would still be talked of years after the wretched youth's name was forgotten. But in a purely ¹ personal way no one was much distressed ². Maxwell had been almost a nonentity--just a 'good fellow' like any other of the ten thousand ex colore good fellows of Burma--and with no close friends. No one among the Europeans genuinely mourned for him. But that is not to say that they were not angry. On the contrary, for the moment they were almost mad with rage. For the unforgivable had happened--A WHITE MAN had been killed. When that happens, a sort of shudder ³ runs through the English of the East. Eight hundred people, possibly, are murdered every year in Burma; they matter nothing; but the murder of A WHITE MAN is a monstrosity, a sacrilege. Poor Maxwell would be avenged ⁴, that was certain. But only a servant or two, and the Forest Ranger ⁵ who had brought in his body and who had been fond of him, shed any tears for his death., ,On the other hand, no one was actually pleased, except U Po Kyin., ,'This is a positive gift from heaven!' he told Ma Kin ⁶. 'I could not have arranged it better myself. The one thing I needed to make them take my rebellion seriously was a little bloodshed. And here it is! I tell you, Ma Kin, every day I grow more certain that some higher power is working on my behalf.', , ,'What! I? Murder upon my soul? What are you talking about? I have never killed so much as a chicken in my life.', ,'But you are profiting by this poor boy's death.', ,This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。,He was too distressed and confused to answer their questions. 他非常苦恼而困惑，无法回答他们的问题 。