Yes. The day has come, at long last，在你最爱吃的荔枝上市的时节。想到这样的日子，我突然觉得我不应该再给你写英文信了，虽然你是英国人。十几二十年前在北京和台湾住了那么久，你对中国的认识，你的中文造诣，你绝对明白我的心情。明天就是政权移交的日子了，我们这里跟随中国的说法，叫“回归”。你学中文的年代当然还不时兴这个词。你小声用国语念这两个字，温馨得很，不是吗？我也很喜欢这两个字，跟你九_九_藏_书_网们英文的home-coming一样那么soul-inspiring。可是这一阵子所有的人都在用这两个字，像月亮，走到哪里都会看到，实在有点滑稽，弄得我没有办法正确表达我心里对七月一日的感受，我只好改说“回家”，说“归人”。……
我还在写我想写和不想写的文章。It's a specialized business and to exercise it too long may very well unfit a man for anything else....因此，万一有一天不准我乱写作乱读书，我真不知道我还能做什么差事餬口……我没有想到T.S.真的过去了。该是七十一岁；在英国也住了四十七、八年了九*九*藏*书*网吧？想到他，我又想到人家写L B Namier的一句话：“His pleasure in staying in the English country house was part of the romantic Anglomania which remained with him to the end of his days.”
我在“楔子”里接着说：“这是中西意识形态的交会点：韩素音瞬息缤纷的恋情；张爱玲暗香浮动的绣像；还有那千千万万流亡的中国读书人的泪影和笑声；千千万万冒险的中国生意人的拚搏和兴旺。海的那一边是火红的故国：她打一个喷嚏香港就发烧；她捱几顿饿香港就胃痛。突然之间，九七来了。日常生活九-九-藏-书-网里连柴米油盐酱醋茶都染着英国名门望族品味的殖民地精英不走。在大英帝国悠悠的安魂曲中，他们低吟瑞典大导演英玛·保曼名片Fanny and Alexander的一段话……”
What a lovely surprise to receive your letter; neat, clean, controlled-unlike my own, but like those from my dear friends.... I'm delighted that you now seem to have found your feet. You should have a much more interesting time and lead a much more gratifying existence in London than in Hong Kong.... The day has come, at long last.... I miss my soul-mates like you and all the others who've upped and gone. Peter is an interesting bloke. I haven't seen him for 6 months and I hear he's disillusioned. I'm not sure he quite knows what he wants....
