More Than One Way to the Square(3)
I drew a bold black and white butterfly pattern and took it to Mrs. Vidian. She knitted it into a sweater. The result, I thought, was wonderful. Then came the test. I wore the sweater to a luncheon which people in the fashion business would attend. To my great pleasure, the sweater was noticed. In fact, the representative of a large New York store wanted 40 sweaters to be ready in two weeks. I accepted the order and walked out on a cloud of happiness.
我画了一个醒目的黑白相间的蝴蝶图案，把它交给维迪安太太，她把这个图案织到了一件毛线衫上。我认为这件成品很漂亮，接着就是对它的检验。我穿上毛线衫，来到一个时装界人士参加的午餐会，令我十分高兴的是，毛线衫引起了众人的注意。事实上，纽约一家大商店的代理商想在两周内得到40件这样的毛线衫。我接受了他的订货，兴高采烈地走出了餐厅。
My cloud disappeared suddenly, however, when I stood in front of Mrs. Vidian. “But it took me almost a week to knit that one sweater,” she said. “Forty sweaters in two weeks? It is not possible!”
然而当我站在维迪安太太面前时，喜悦之情就一扫而光了。她说：“我几乎用一周才织完这样一件毛线衫，两周织40件是不可能的！”
I was crushed to be so close to success and then to be blocked! Sadly I walked away. All at once I stopped short. There must be another way. This stitch did take special skill. But surely there must be other Armenian women in Paris who knew how to do it.
我非常失望，离成功仅有半步之遥，竟又被迎头堵住了！我悲伤地走出维迪安太太的家，突然停下了脚步，一定有别的办法可以办到。这种针法确实需要特殊的技巧，然而在巴黎一定还有其他亚美尼亚妇女会这种针法。
I went back to Mrs. Vidian and explained my plan. She really didn't think it would work, but she agreed to help.
我回到维迪安太太的家，向她讲述了我的计划。她真的认为这个计划行不通，但同意帮我的忙。
We were like detectives10, Mrs. Vidian and I. We put ourselves on the trail11 of any Armenians who lived in Paris. One friend led us to another. At last we tracked down 20 women, each of whom could knit the special stitch. Two weeks later the sweaters were finished. And the first shipment from the new house of Schiaparelli was on its way to the United States!
我和维迪安太太像侦探似地开始行动，我们追踪任何一位住在巴黎的亚美尼亚人。一个朋友把我们介绍给另一个朋友，就这样我们终于找到了20名亚美尼亚妇女，她们个个都会这种特殊的针法。两星期后，毛线衫都织好了，新开张的斯基亚帕雷利时装店第一批货物被发往美国！
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