Sharing a business house with common ledger, the partners in an honest trade a very pretty pile had made, and now accounts were closed and each his profit weighed.

For few is sharing up an undiluted pleasure, and while the argument gets higher still and higher, an eighbour rushes in and bellows,“House on fire.”

“Make haste, make haste, and save the house and stores!”cries partner Brown,“Come out of doors! The accounts at present we can leave.”

“All very well, if first my hundred I receive!”John Davies shouted,“I shall not leave this house without it!”

几个人合作开了一家店，做着诚实守信的买卖，赚了一笔小钱。此时，账目都结算好了，每个人都估算着各自的收益。

由于在分红上有了分歧，他们的争吵声越来越大，这时，一个邻居冲进来嚷道：“房子着火了!”

“快，快，抢救房子和货物!”一个合伙人吼道，“快出去!先不算这些账了。”

“先不算也好，只是我要先把我的那份拿到手。”另一个喊道，“拿不到钱，我绝不走出这间屋子!”

“Two hundred’s due to me. The accounts are clear as day!”cries partner Jones.

The rest won’t have it anyway. It’s“Why?”It’s“How?”It’s“No! You’re wrong!”

The fire is treated as a joke. These silly fellows keep it up so long, the fumes their angry voices choke, and they, their spoils, their broils all vanish into smoke.

“我应得二百，账目上说得清清楚楚!”又有一个嚷着。

其余的合伙人也都不让步。这个说：“为什么?”那个说：“怎么样?”还有人说：“那不行，你错了!”

所有的人都把火灾当做儿戏。这些蠢货没完没了地吵，最后，他们愤怒的声音被浓烟所湮没。于是，他们、他们的红利及愤怒，都化成了灰烬。

原本应联合起来对付共同危急的合伙人，却为了一己私利而争执不休，结果，所有的当事人都走向了毁灭。现实生活中，这一类的人存在不少，因过分注重个人利益，致使团体分裂，公司倒闭，甚至亲人之间反目成仇。