5. Do your best and leave the rest, All things in His sovereign hand, 6. Do your best and leave the rest, Who only trusts his human eyes Shall soon be struck with blindness. Faith is larger far than sense, THE DISHONEST PEASANT. 1. In the year 1794, a poor French emigrant was passing the winter in a village in Westphalia in Germany. He was obliged to live with the greatest economy in order not to go beyond his means. 2. One cold morning he had occasion to buy some wood. He found a peasant who had a load to sell, and asked him what the price was. The peasant, perceiving by his broken German that he was a foreigner, and that his ignorance might be taken advantage of, answered that the price was a sum equal to about ten shillings of English money. The Frenchman entreated him to take less, but in vain; the peasant would abate nothing of his first demand. The emigrant finding it useless to waste words with him, and being in pressing need of the fuel, at last took it, and paid the money that was asked for it. 3. The peasant, delighted to have made so good a bargain, drove with his empty cart to the village inn, which was not far off, and ordered breakfast. While it was being prepared he entertained the landlord with an account of the way in which he had cheated the Frenchman, and made him pay ten shillings for a load of wood which, at the utmost, was not worth more than five shillings; talking as if he had done a very clever thing. 4. But the landlord was a good man, and feeling justly indignant at the peasant's conduct, told him that he ought to be ashamed of himself to have thus taken advantage of the ignorance of a poor foreigner. Well," said the peasant, with a scornful laugh, "the wood was mine; I had a right to ask just what I pleased for it, and nobody has a right to call my conduct in question." 5. The landlord made no reply. When breakfast was over the peasant asked how much he was to pay. The landlord replied, "Ten shillings." "What!" said the peasant, "ten shillings for a cup of coffee and some slices of bread and butter!" 6. "Yes," said the landlord with the utmost composure, "the coffee and bread and butter are mine; I have a right to ask just what I please for them. My bill is ten shillings, and I shall keep your horse and cart until you pay me. If you think I am charging you too much, you can go before the judge." 7. The peasant, without saying anything more, went to the judge's office and made his complaint. The judge was surprised and indignant at the landlord's extortion, especially as he had always borne an excellent character. 8. He ordered him to be brought before him, and his reception of him was somewhat stern. But the landlord told him the whole story; how the peasant had taken advantage of the poor emigrant's ignorance to cheat him, what their conversation was, and how his own conduct was simply visiting upon the head of a dishonest man the wrong he had done to another. 9. Under such circumstances the judge decided that the landlord had done right, and that the peasant should pay the ten shillings. The peasant, with a very ill grace, drew out his purse, and laid the money on the table. 10. "I do not want this money," said the landlord to the judge, "as your honour may well suppose. Will you have the goodness to take the ten shillings and give the peasant five shillings out of it-for that, as he confessed to me, is all that his wood was worth and return the remainder to the poor Frenchman? For the breakfast I want nothing." 11. The judge was much moved at these words of the good innkeeper. He counted out the five shillings to the peasant, and dismissed him with a severe rebuke. 12. The rest was returned to the emigrant, who, on hearing the story, went to thank the kind innkeeper, and with great difficulty persuaded him to accept a small sum for the peasant's breakfast. peasant, country labourer. | abate, lessen. emigrant, one who goes out from his own country. indignant, very angry. cbliged, compelled. economy, carefulness. perceiving, noticing. composure, calmness. extortion, asking more for a thing than it is worth. reception, receiving. confessed, owned. dismissed, sent away. sur-pris-ed entreated, begged. emp-ty bar-gain ex-cel-lent Where was the poor emigrant passing the winter of 1794 Why was he obliged to live with the greatest economy? From whom did he want to buy a load of wood? Why did the peasant ask more for it than it was worth? Why was the Frenchman obliged to buy it? Whom did the peasant tell that he had cheated the Frenchman? What did the innkeeper say to him? How did he reply? How much did the innkeeper charge for the peasant's breakfast? Why did he object to pay it? What was the reply? Why was the judge at first surprised to see the innkeeper before him? When the case was explained, what did he then say? What was done with the money? THE LIGHTHOUSE. 1. The tide comes up, and the tide goes down, |