最好的报复

字幕原文

In Manchester, many years ago, 很多年前，在曼彻斯特，

a warehouse owner published a nasty pamphlet mocking the Grant brothers, 有个仓库老板印了本刻薄的小册子，专门嘲弄格兰特兄弟，

two respected merchants. 他们是两位受人尊敬的商人。

When William Grant heard about it, 威廉·格兰特听说后，

he said simply, "He'll live to regret that." 只是淡淡地说了句：“他早晚会后悔的。”

The man laughed. 那人听了哈哈大笑。

"He thinks I'll end up owing him money someday. “他还以为我总有一天会欠他钱呢。

I'll make sure that never happens." 我绝不可能让这种事发生。”

But business doesn't always let you choose. 但做生意的事，往往由不得自己。

A few years later, the man went bankrupt, 几年后，这人破产了，

and by a strange twist, 而且阴差阳错的是，

the Grants ended up holding one of his debts. 格兰特兄弟成了他的债权人之一。

To start trading again, he needed every creditor to sign a certificate. 为了重新做生意，他需要所有债权人都在清偿证明上签字。

He had every signature but one. 所有的签字他都拿到了，唯独缺一份。

Theirs. 就是他们的那一笔。

Desperate, with a family to feed, he finally went to their office. 为了养活一家老小，走投无路的他最终硬着头皮来到了他们的办公室。

"Shut the door," said William Grant coldly. “把门关上，”威廉·格兰特冷冷地说道。

"You once wrote a pamphlet about us." “你当年写过一本小册子骂我们吧。”

The man stood trembling, 那人站在原地浑身发抖，

certain his paper was about to go into the fire. 认定自己的文件八成要被扔进火炉里了。

Instead, Grant picked up a pen and signed it. 谁知格兰特却拿起笔签了字。

"We never refuse an honest tradesman," he said, “我们从不刁难本分的生意人，”他说，

"and I've never heard you were anything else. “我也没听说过你有什么不良操守。

When I said you'd regret it, 当年我说你会后悔，

I didn't mean it as a threat. 并不是在威胁你。

I just meant you'd get to know us one day." 我只是想说，你总有一天会了解我们的为人。”

Then he pressed ten pounds into the man's hand for his family. 接着，他往那人手里塞了十英镑，让他带回去贴补家用。

Grant could easily have crushed him. 格兰特本可以轻而易举地彻底压垮他。

Instead, he left him nothing to hate. 可他这么做，反倒让对方连怨恨他的由头都找不到了。