Bert's Thanksgiving Short Stories Part 5

小伯特的感恩节（第五话）

"So this is your place of business?" said Bert, glancing about the plain office room. "What do you do here?"

“所以这里是您工作的地方吗？”伯特环视了一周这间简朴的办公室，接着问道：“您在这里是做什么工作呢？”

"I buy real estate, sometimes—sell—rent—and so forth."

“我是做房地产生意的，有时会卖掉、租赁房子等等。”

"Who for?" asked Bert.“

那是为谁打工呢？”伯特问。

"For myself," said the old gentleman, with a smile.“

“给我自己打工”，老先生微笑着说。

Bert was shocked! This was the man whom he had invited to dinner last Thursday!?

伯特很震惊。这真的是上周四他邀请一起吃晚餐的老人吗！？

"I—I—I thought—you were a poor man!"

“我——我——我以为——你是一个贫穷的人！”

"I am a poor man," said Mr. Crooker, locking his safe. "Money doesn't make a man rich. I've enough money. I own houses in the city. They give me something to think about and keep me busy. I had truer riches once, but I lost them long ago."

“我的确是一个穷人”，克鲁克先生一边说说，一边锁上了他的保险箱。“金钱并不会使一个人富有。我有足够的钱，在城里也有几套房子，我每天都要忙碌于管理这些财产。但实际上我曾经拥有更真实的财富，可惜我在很久之前就失去了他们。”

From the way the old man's voice trembled and eyes glistened, Bert thought he must have meant by these riches, the friends he had lost, wife and children, perhaps.

说到这里，老人的声音开始颤抖，眼里也闪现出了泪光，伯特意识到了这些所谓的“财富”其实有更深的含义，也许是指他失去的朋友，妻子和孩子。

"To think of me inviting you to dinner!"

“想想我还请你吃过饭呢！”

"It was odd. But it may turn out to have been a lucky circumstance for both of us. I like you. I believe in you, and I've an offer to make you. I want a trusty, bright boy in this office, somebody I can bring up in my business, and leave it with, as I get too old to run it myself. What do you say?"

“说来奇怪。不过对于我们两个来说也很有缘。我喜欢你，也信任你，因此我也想为你提供一个工作的机会。我想聘用一个可靠开朗的男孩在这间办公室工作，不仅能辅助我工作，也能在工作时间之外相互照应。如今我年事已高，无法自己运作它。你觉得怎么样呢？”

What could Bert say?

面对这样一个难得的机会，伯特又怎么会拒绝呢？

The lonely, childless old man, who owned so many houses, wanted a home and a family. One of his houses he offered to Bert's mother, with ample support for herself and children if she would allow him to live with them like a grandfather.

这样一个孤独，没有子女陪伴的老人，即便拥有很多房子，但内心更加渴望有一个真正的家，有一个完整的家庭。老人把很多房子中的一套给了伯特的母亲，也给她和她的孩子提供了充足的物质支持，不过前提是她同意老人跟他们住在一起，就像孩子的祖父一样。

Of course she accepted; and Bert soon saw all his dreams come true. He had employment, which promised to become a profitable business, as indeed it did in a few years. The old man and the boy proved very useful to each other; and, more than that, he was united once more with his mother and sisters in a happy home, where he has since had many Thanksgiving dinners.

当然她接受了，与此同时，伯特也很快就看见了他所有的梦想都逐渐成真。他顺利就业，从事着一项利益颇丰的生意，而这的确让伯特在几年里获益不少。老人和这个男孩也渐渐离不开彼此，更重要的是，他能够在这样一个幸福的家庭里常常跟母亲和姐妹见面，也自从那以后，他每年都能跟家人一起过感恩节了。