Introduction：Bob and Jimmy were very close friends。When Bob was going to the West to make fortune，they made an appointment to meet each other at“Big Joe”Brady’s restaurant twenty years later。Can both of them keep the appointment？
1.The policeman on the beat moved up the avenue impressively。The impressiveness was habitual and not for show，for spectators were few。The time was barely 10 o’clock at night，but chilly gusts of wind with a taste of rain in them had well nigh depeopled the streets。
2.Trying doors as he went，twirling his club with many intricate and artful movements，turning now and then to cast his watchful eye down the pacificthoroughfare，the officer，with his stalwart form and slight swagger，made a fine picture of a guardian of the peace。The vicinity was one that kept early hours。Now and then you might see the lights of a cigar store or of an all-night lunch counter but the majority of the doors belonged to business places that had long sincebeen closed。
on the beat：執勤
habitual：adj。習慣性的，慣常的
spectator：n。參觀者，觀眾
barely：adv。僅僅
depeople：v。使人減少
twirl：v。迅速轉動
club：n。警棍
intricate：adj。複雜的
artful：adj。巧妙的
pacific：adj。平靜的
thoroughfare：n。大道，大街
stalwart：adj。健壯的，堅定的
swagger：n。昂首闊步的行為
guardian：n。保護人
vicinity：n。鄰近、附近地區
3.When about midway of a certain block the policeman suddenly slowed his walk。In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man leaned，with an unlighted cigar in his mouth。As the policeman walked up to him the man spoke up quickly。
4.“It’s all right，officer，”he said，reassuringly。“I’m just waiting for a friend。It’s an appointment made twenty years ago。Sounds a little funny to you，doesn’t it？Well，I’ll explain if you’d like to make certain it’s all straight。About that long ago there used to be a restaurant where this store stands-‘Big Joe’Brady’s restaurant。”
5.“Until five years ago，”said the policeman。“It was torn downthen。”
6.The man in the doorway struck a match and lit his cigar。Thelight showed a pale，square-jawed face with keen eyes，and a little white scarnear his right eyebrow。His scarf-pin was a large diamond，oddly set。
評注：第6段對Bob臉上疤痕和領帶夾上鑽石的描寫為他後來的身份埋下了伏筆。
7.“Twenty years ago tonight，”said the man，“I dined here at‘Big Joe’Brady’swith Jimmy Wells，my best chum，and the finest chap in the world。He and I wereraised here in New York，just like two brothers，together。I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty。The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune。You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New York he thought it was the only place on earth。Well，we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time，no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come。We figured that in twenty years each ofus ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made，whatever they were going to be。”