Silence Is Good
沉默是金
At an Indian fair there was a merchant who had an elephant for sale. He saw an American who was examining it with very great care--walking round and round it, putting his head on one side, and taking in everything.
在印度集市上，有个商人要卖大象。他看到一个美国人仔细地观察，围着大象走来走去，还歪着头看，一切都记在心上。
The merchant went up to the American, and said, "Don't say anything about the elephant till I have sold it, and I will make you a present."
商人走过去对美国人说：“在我卖掉大象之前一个字都不准说，我会给你一份礼物的。”
"All right," said the American.
“好啊！”美国人说。
After the elephant was sold, the merchant gave him one-tenth of the price he had got for it, and said, "Now tell me how you found out that blemish on the left foreleg of the elephant. I thought it was quite concealed."
卖了大象之后，商人把卖大象钱的十分之一给了美国人，并且说道：“现在告诉我你是怎么发现大象左前腿的毛病吧。我以为很隐蔽呢！”
"Blemish!" said the American. "I never found any blemish."
“毛病？！”美国人说道，“我从没发现什么毛病啊！”
"Then, why did you examine the elephant so closely?" asked the merchant.
“那么，你为什么那么细心地检查大象呢？”商人问道。
"Because I had never seen an elephant before, and wanted to see what it was like," said the American.
“因为我以前从没看到过大象，想看看到底是什么样子。”美国人说。