40.Burned Down But Not Out
40.毁而不灭
Mark burst out of the door of his burning house!
马克从他那着火的房子冲了出来!
He buttoned up the jacket he had quickly grabbed and stood watching with the neighbors as his house burned down.
他把急急忙忙抓到的一件夹克扣好,和邻居们一起们站在那里看着他的房子被烧掉。
When the firefighters had made sure that the fire had completely burned out, Mark walked through the ruins looking for remains.
等到消防人员确信火已经完全熄灭,马克才走过废墟找剩下的东西。
The fire had been started by accident; Mark had not fully extinguished a cigarette.
火是偶然引起的,马克没有把烟头完全掐灭。
Now everything was gone, burned up in the fire.
现在一切都没了,都被大火烧掉了。
Sitting in a hotel later that night, Mark burned the midnight oil deciding what to do next.
那天深夜马克坐在一家旅馆,熬夜想着下一步该怎么办。
He could bury his head in the sand and hide out at his parents'.
他可以不正视现实,在父母家躲起来。
But then he remembered that he had burned his bridges with them by swearing that he would never stay in their house again.
可是后来他又想起他与他们已经断绝一切关系,他发过誓再也不会住在他们家。
He certainly couldn't stay in the hotel for long.
他当然不能长期住在旅馆里。
That would burn a hole in his pocket.
因为那会很容易花光他所有的钱。
Finally exhausted from the burden of deciding how to pick up the pieces of his life, Mark fell asleep.
最后,决定重拾破碎的心情给他造成的负担太重,马克睡着了。
He woke up the next morning refreshed and happy.
第二天早晨醒来的时候,马克变得神清气爽起来。
He had just remembered that his fire insurance policy would cover the cost of buying up another house.
因为他刚刚想起他的火险保单可以给他提供另外购置一套房子的费用。
It was also a buyer's market and he was sure to get a better house than the one he had just lost.
而且现在是买方市场,肯定能买到一所更好的房子。
Mark went house shopping.
马克开始看房子了。
Weeks later Mark was near blissful.
几周之后,马克快高兴坏了。
He had somehow been able to butter both sides of his bread by gaining sympathy from friends and neighbors, even while prospering from the insurance settlement.
他不知怎么交上了好运,他博得了朋友,邻居的同情,尽管保险公司的赔付已经让他发达了。
He had even been able to buy off the shelf beautiful new furniture at reduced cost.
他甚至还以优惠价购买了一套漂亮的新家具。
Thank God for that fire.
感谢上帝,多亏了那场大火。