讀點好英文:The Miser 守財奴

The Miser 守財奴

A miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that he had and converted it into a great lump of gold, which he hid in a hole in the ground, and went continually to visit and inspect it. This roused the curiosity of one of his workmen, who, suspecting that there was a treasure, when his master's back was turned, went to the spot, and stole it away.

When the miser returned and found the place empty, he wept and tore his hair. But a neighbour who saw him in this extravagant grief, and learned the cause of it, said，“Fret yourself no longer, but take a stone and put it in the same place, and think that it is your lump of gold；for, as you never meant to use it, the one will do you as much good as the other.”

一個守財奴，為了確保自己的財產(chǎn)不貶值，便把所有東西都變賣了，換成一大塊金子。他把金子藏在地洞里，并且經(jīng)常到那里去查看。他的行為引起了一個幫工的好奇；他猜想那里必定有寶藏，所以當他主人不在時，便跑到地洞里，把金子偷走了。

守財奴回來后發(fā)現(xiàn)洞里空無一物，急得捶胸痛哭。一個鄰居看見他那傷心欲絕的樣子，問明原因后說：“別傷心了，拿塊石頭放在原處，當作是你那塊金子就行了。既然你從不打算用它，那么，石頭和金塊對你來說不都是一樣嘛。”