為什麼不記帳？ - 古德明
When Herbert Hoover, who was to become president of the United States in 1929, was in charge of Belgian relief work before the United States entered World War I, he crossed the English Channel many times between London and Belgium. It took a full day to make the trip, so three meals were served on the boat.
At breakfast on one of his crossings, he asked the steward to keep a record of his expenses and collect payment for them at the end of the trip. The steward hesitated, shifted from one foot to the other, and finally blurted cut: "Damn sorry, sir, but when the last boat was torpedoed the passengers got drowned. We may be sunk any moment, so I must collect after each meal."
美國參與第一次世界大戰之前，一九二九年將成為美國總統的赫伯特．胡佛負責比利時救濟工作，多次橫渡倫敦與比利時之間的英倫海峽。由於船行要一整天時間，三餐都在船上吃。
有一次，他在船上吃早餐，請服務員記帳，待抵岸時一併付款。那服務員面露難色，有點站立不安，終於直言不隱：「對不起，先生，但是，上次有船遭魚雷炸沉，乘客都淹死了。我們隨時都可能遇襲沉沒，所以，每頓飯之後，必須馬上收費。」
*Shift是「轉移」，to shift from one foot to the other直譯是「由一隻腳轉至另一隻腳」，即身體重心置於左脚又不是，右腳又不是，是不安的表現。
Z88
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