Doubtless it is a rare thing nowadays for a lad whose education ranks him with the upper middle class to find himself utterly without resources, should he wish to devote himself to the profession of letters.

毫无疑问，对于一个受过中上层教育的小伙子来说， 如果他想投身于文学这个职业， 却发现自己完全没有资源， 这在今天是很少见的。