An old man walked slowly into a restaurant with his cane. His old jacket and shoes made him look unusual that day.
一位老人拄着拐杖慢慢走进一家餐馆。他的旧夹克和旧鞋子使他在那天显得与众不同。
A young waitress named Mary watched him move towards a table by the window.
一个名叫玛丽的年轻女服务员看着他走向靠窗的桌子。
She ran over to him, and said with a smile, "Here, sir. Let me give you a hand." Without saying a word, he just gave her a smile, too.
她跑到他跟前,笑着说:“来,先生,我来帮你一把。” 他一句话也没说,也只是对她笑了笑。
She pulled the chair away from the table and helped him sit down. Then she put his cane against the table where he could reach it.
她把椅子从桌子旁拉开,扶他坐下。然后,她把他的手杖靠在他可以够得到的桌子上。
In a soft and clear voice, the old man said, "Thank you, miss."
老人用柔和而清晰的声音说:“谢谢您,小姐。”
"You're welcome, sir," she replied. "I'll be back in a minute, and if you need anything, just wave at me!"
“不客气,先生,” 她回答。“我马上就回来,如果你需要什么,就朝我挥手!”
After he had finished a good meal, Mary brought him the change. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door.
他美餐一顿后,玛丽给他找零钱。她把手杖递给他,陪他走到前门。
Holding the door open for him, she said, "Thank you for coming to our restaurant! You're welcome to come again, sir!" The old man turned around and smiled.
她为他开门,说道:“谢谢您光临我们餐厅!欢迎您再来,先生!” 老人转过身来,微笑着。
When Mary went back to clean his table, she was very surprised. Under the plate, she found a business card, a 100-dollar bill and a note.
当玛丽回去清理他的桌子时,她非常惊讶。在盘子下面,她找到了一张名片,一张100美元的钞票和一张纸条。
The note said, "Dear lady, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows in the way you treat me and yourself. You have found the secret of happiness."
纸条上写着:“亲爱的女士,我很尊重你,你也尊重你自己。这体现在你对待我和你自己的方式上。你已经找到了幸福的秘诀。”
In fact, the old man was the owner of the restaurant. That was the only time that she, or any of his waitresses, had ever seen him.
事实上,这位老人是这家餐馆的老板。那是玛丽和老人的所有女服务员唯一一次见到他。