Ways end Means

花招

A man handed a pair of slacks to the department-store clerk. "I'd like these altered, please," he said. The clerk asked for the sales receipt, but after searching his pockets, the man replied he had lost it. The clerk informed him that it was store policy to do free alterations¹ without a receipt.

一位男子把一条宽松裤递给百货商店职员。“我想换一条。”他说。店员向他要售货收据。这位男子翻遍了他的口袋，最后只得说收据丢了。店员告诉他说没有收据不准随意更换，这是商店的规章。

"Okay, then, " the man said, "I'd I like to return the slacks. clerk processed the return and gave him cash equaling the cost of the slacks.

“那好吧，”这位男子说，“我要把这条裤子退掉。”店员按程序办理了退货手续并把等于裤子价格的现金给了他。

The man pushed the money back across the counter. "Now I want to buy the slacks, " he said. The clerk rang up the sale, bagged the slacks and handed them to him with a receipt.

这位男子把钱从柜台上推回去。“现在我还要这条裤子，”他说。店员用收银机收下了钱，把那条裤子装进包里，并把它们连同收据递给了他。

Triumphantly², he put the slacks and the receipt on the counter. "I'd like to have these altered, please."这男子终于以胜利者的姿态把裤子和收据放在柜台上，说：“我要把这条裤子换了。”