To prevent our dog, Lacy, from pestering¹ visitors to our house, my mother often massaged² her as she lounged beneath the kitchen table, her favorite resting spot. One day a contractor³ came over to talk about a home-improvement project.

为避免我们的狗，莱希，纠缠来访的客人，我母亲常在爱犬喜欢呆的地方，即餐桌下面，摩昵它。一天，一个建筑商来谈居室装潢工程。

As he and my mother sat across the table discussing the renovations, my mother slipped off her shoes and mindlessly soothed⁴ Lacy with her feet.

在这人和我母亲坐在餐桌边谈居室的修茸时，我母亲滑脱了她的鞋子，开始不经意地用脚摩蹭起莱希来。

My mother had been talking for about a half-hour when to her great embarrassment⁵ she heard Lacy bark outside the front door.

谈话进行了半个小时的时候，我母亲突然感到很不好意思起来，因为这时她听到了莱希在前门外的犬吠声。