在一个村庄里，有一位出色的画家，人们都说他画的画栩栩如生。

In a village, there is an outstanding painter. People say his paintings are lifelike.

在一个晴朗的早晨，一位很吝啬的富翁慕名而来，想让画家给他画个肖像。

On a fine morning, a miserly rich man came to ask the painter to paint a portrait of him.

富翁对画家说：“请您帮我画个像，画好了我就给你500美金！怎么样？”

The rich man said to the painter, "please help me draw a picture. I'll give you 500 dollars when I'm done! How is it? "

画家大吃一惊：“竟然有人要用500美金来买我的画！”画家爽快地答应了，并告诉富翁三天后来取。

The painter was surprised: "someone even wanted to buy my painting for 500 dollars!" The painter readily agreed and told the rich man to pick it up in three days.

于是，画家就废寝忘食地画着肖像，每当他想要放弃时，他就会想：“如果放弃，那500美金就会白白地如流水般地溜走。

Therefore, the painter would like to paint a portrait of his sleep and food. Whenever he wanted to give up, he would think: "if he gave up, 500 dollars would slip away like water in vain.

画家就这样坚持了三天三夜。

In this way, the painter persisted for three days and three nights.

约定的时间到了，富翁按时来取画。

When the appointed time came, the rich man came to pick up the painting on time.

富翁看了看画，又看了看画家，心想：“画得倒是挺象我的，但是500美金太多了，不能轻易给他。”富翁灵机一动，想到了一个好主意。

The rich man looked at the painting, and then at the painter. He thought, "it looks like mine, but 500 dollars is too much for him." The rich man had a good idea.

他转头假装生气地说：“这画的根本不是我，500美金我不能给你！”

He turned and pretended to be angry and said, "it's not me at all. I can't give you 500 dollars!"

画家想了想，对富翁说：不要没关系！”画家说完，就用笔在这幅画下写了个“贼”字，富翁只好乖乖地用500美金买下了这幅画。

The painter thought about it and said to the rich man, "don't worry!" After the painter finished, he wrote a word "thief" under the painting with a pen. The rich man had to buy the painting with 500 dollars.

编辑:Liuxuepaper.Com