Life is too short for a long story. Why not sit down and enjoy a short tale? It was one of the secret opinions, such as we all have, of Peter Brench that his main success in life would have consisted in his never having committed himself about the work, as it was called, of his friend Morgan Mallow . . . 时间太少，小说太长，不如读一篇短故事。

对于布伦奇来说，生活的秘诀就是隐瞒对于朋友才艺的质疑和对朋友妻子的爱意。这场隐瞒表面上让他们的关系稳固而安然无事，实质则是暗流涌动，而这一切是要最终爆发还是归于沉默？