It was Christmas and the judge was in a benevolent¹ mood as he questioned the prisoner. "What are you charged with?" he asked.

那天是圣诞节，法官在审讯犯人时也有点恻隐之心。“你为什么而被起诉？”他问。

"Doing my christmas shopping early," replied the defendant².

“采购圣诞节物品过早。”被告答。

"That's no offense," replied the judge, "How early were you doing this shopping?"

“这不算犯法，”法官回答，“你购物多早？”

"Before the store opened," countered the prisoner.

在商店开门之前，“犯人应道。