She explained: "If your feeling for me has any reality, any honest basis, what I look like won't matter. Suppose I'm beautiful. I'd always be haunted by the feeling that you had been taking a chance on just that, and that kind of love would disgust me. Suppose I'm plain (and you must admit that this is more likely). Then I'd always fear that you were going on writing to me only because you were lonely and had no one else. No, don't ask for my picture. When you come to New York, you shall see me and then you shall make your decison. Remember, both of us are free to stop or to go on after that — whichever we choose..."

译文：

她解释说：“如果你对我的感情是真实的、诚实的，那么我长什么样子是不重要的。假设我很漂亮。（如果我给了你我的照片，）我心里就总会有一种感觉，即你此前一直在赌我长得漂亮，这种爱情会令我作呕。假设我长相平平（你得承认这很有可能）。（如果你知道了这个，）我会觉得你继续给我写信只是因为你很孤独，无人可以倾诉。所以，不要向我要照片。当你来到纽约，你会见到我，然后你会做出你的决定。请记住，见面之后我们二人都可以自由决定终止还是继续我们的交往---无论我们的决定如何。。。”

网友的“假象”一词用得实在欠妥。这段话中的过去时和过去完成进行时形式都是虚拟语气。从整个这段文字内容可以看出一对网恋的男女，男方向女孩要照片，女孩在解释为什么她不愿将自己的照片给男孩。因此，句子用了与事实相反的虚拟语气，是因为隐含了“If I gave you my picture," 这个与事实相反的假设（事实是我不会给你照片），后面的句子都是对给了照片后的情况的假设，所以要用虚拟语气。had been taking a chance用过去完成进行时形式，表示从过去一直持续到给照片这段时间一直持续的动作，不能用完成体。