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The crystal merchant awoke with the day, and felt the same anxiety that he felt every morning.
水晶店的老板眼瞅著天放亮了。每天早晨，他都會一如既往地感到心煩意亂。
He had been in the same place for thirty years: a shop at the top of a hilly street where few customers passed.
他的店鋪在一座山丘的頂部，幾乎三十年了，一直在這個地方，很少有人光顧。
Now it was too late to change anything—the only thing he had ever learned to do was to buy and sell crystal glassware.
現在作任何改變都為時已晚，他這輩子唯一的本事就是做水晶生意。
There had been a time when many people knew of his shop: Arab merchants, French and English geologists, German soldiers who were always well-heeled.
過去有一段時間，很多人知道他的商店，有阿拉伯商人，有英國和法國的地質學家，還有口袋里從不缺錢的德國士兵。
In those days it had been wonderful to be selling crystal, and he had thought how he would become rich, and have beautiful women at his side as he grew older.
那年頭賣水晶風險很大，他曾盤算著發財，在晚年的時候有美女相伴。
But, as time passed, Tangier had changed.
爾后，好景不長，風光不再。整座城市都是這樣。
The nearby city of Ceuta had grown faster than Tangier, and business had fallen off.
休達市發展得更快，超過了丹吉爾，商機隨之發生變化。
Neighbors moved away, and there remained only a few small shops on the hill.
鄰居紛紛搬走，山丘上只剩下少數幾家店。
And no one was going to climb the hill just to browse through a few small shops.
由于商店太少，很少有人到山坡上來了。
But the crystal merchant had no choice.
但是，水晶店老板別無選擇。
He had lived thirty years of his life buying and selling crystal pieces, and now it was too late to do anything else.
三十年來，他一直靠賣水晶維持生計，現在改弦易轍為時太晚了。
He spent the entire morning observing the infrequent comings and goings in the street.
整個上午，他都在望著行人稀少的街道。
He had done this for years, and knew the schedule of everyone who passed.
這種情形已經有些年頭了，他甚至熟知每個行人的作息時間。
But, just before lunchtime, a boy stopped in front of the shop.
還差幾分鐘就該吃午飯的時候，一個外國男孩在水晶店的櫥窗前停了下來。
He was dressed normally, but the practiced eyes of the crystal merchant could see that the boy had no money to spend.
他的穿著很平常，閱歷豐富的水晶店老板認定男孩沒錢。
Nevertheless, the merchant decided to delay his lunch for a few minutes until the boy moved on.
老板決定回到店里稍等片刻，待那男孩離去后再吃飯。
