Some years ago a warehouseman in Manchester, England, published a scurrilous pamphlet,
前些年，英国曼彻斯特一位羊毛制品批发商印刷了一本充满粗鄙辱骂的宣传册，
in which he endeavored to hold up the house of Grant Brothers to ridicule.
文章里不遗余力地公开嘲笑格兰特兄弟机构。
William Grant remarked upon the occurrence that the man would live to repent of what he had done;
一位叫威廉·格兰特的人对此进行评价，这家伙将会为他所做的事后悔一生。
and this was conveyed by some talebearer to the libeler,
这句评价被某位搬弄是非的人转告那位肆意诽谤者，
who said, “Oh, I suppose he thinks I shall some time or other be in his debt; but I will take good care of that.”
后者说：“哦，我猜想，威廉·格兰特或许认为，或迟或早我将会欠格兰特兄弟的钱，这一点，我会格外倍加小心。”
It happens, however, that a man in business can not always choose who shall be his creditors.
然而生意场上波谲诡异，谁也无法总能称心如愿地选择自己的债权人。
The pamphleteer became a bankrupt,
那位批发商，即宣传册的始作俑者不巧破产了，
and the brothers held an acceptance of his which had been indorsed to them by the drawer, who had also become a bankrupt.
于是他将债权转给一位商人，但那位商人随后同样破产，他无奈之下只好将债权以背书形式转与格兰特兄弟，于是格兰特兄弟最终成为那位羊毛制品批发商的债权人。
The wantonly libeled men had thus become creditors of the libeler!
由此看来，被侮蔑中伤者居然成了恶毒毁谤者的债权人！
They now had it in their power to make him repent of his audacity.
如今，格兰特兄弟有能力让那家伙为自己的厚颜无耻埋单。
He could not obtain his certificate without their signature, and without it he could not enter into business again.
接下来的情况是，如果无法获得债权人的签字认可，那位羊毛制品批发商老板将无法领取他的商业执照；如果没有商业执照，他根本无法再度经商。
He had obtained the number of signatures required by the bankrupt law except one.
当时，他获得了破产法要求债权人的签名认可数，最后唯独缺少格兰特公司的签名。
It seemed folly to hope that the firm of “the brothers” would supply the deficiency.
如果他指望格兰特兄弟公司能提供法律要求的不足名额签认，看来确实愚蠢至极。
What! they who had cruelly been made the laughingstock of the public, forget the wrong and favor the wrongdoer?
天呀！被公众无情耻笑、留作笑柄的格拉特兄弟岂能忘记过错方的肆意诽谤与行为卑劣？
He despaired. But the claims of a wife and children forced him at last to make the application.
那位羊毛批发商老板陷入绝望之中，然而迫于对其妻儿的追索赔偿压力，最终他万般无奈提出申请，
