So he goes up to rat-ridden garrets, to black holes, as high as he can mount, and there he sets to singing, declaiming, how do I know what?

因为他一到家里，便到那些住耗子的阁楼上，那些黑洞里，越高越好，他在那里又唱又朗诵，谁知道他搞些什么！

The early white-collar workers stood or perched on stools at high wooden desks in damp basements and garrets, where they were quite likely to contract tuberculosis as well as eye strain.

早期的白领在潮湿的地下室和阁楼里，站着或坐在凳子上，在高高的木桌旁工作，他们在工作中很可能会患上肺结核，或者眼疲劳。