My cousin, Harry, keeps a large curiously-shaped bottle on permanent display in his study.
Despite the fact that the bottle is tinted a delicate shade of green, an observant visitor would soon notice that it is filled with what looks like a thick, greyish substance. If you were to ask Harry what was in the bottle, he would tell you that it contained perfumed mud. If you expressed doubt or surprise, he would immediately invite you to smell it and then to rub some into your skin. This brief experiment would dispel any further doubts you might have. The bottle really does contain perfumed mud. How Harry came into the possession of this outlandish stuff makes an interesting story which he is fond of relating. Furthermore, the acquisition of this bottle cured him of a bad habit he had been developing for years.

我的堂兄哈里在他的书房里一直摆着一只形状古怪的大瓶子。
尽管那只瓶子呈淡绿色， 但细心的客人很快就会发现瓶里装的是一种看上去黏稠，颜色发灰的东西。 要是你问哈里瓶里装着什么，他会告诉你是香水泥。 如果你表示怀疑或惊奇，他会立即请你闻一闻，然后取出一些抹在你的皮肤上。 这一简单的试验会消除你可能存有的一切疑虑。 瓶里装的的确是香水泥。 哈里如何得到这种稀奇古怪的东西的，这里有个有趣的故事，而且他挺爱把它讲给别人听。 此外，得到这瓶香水泥还治好了他多年的一个坏习惯。