Page 84 - Unit 3 - Exercise 1A

Page 84 - Unit 3 - Exercise 1A

Lord Bao and the Stone

Long ago in China there was a judge. His name was Lord Bao. Everybody loved him, because he was very wise and fair.

One day. Lord Bao and his servant were walking along the street when they saw a young boy. The boy sold oil, but he wasn’t selling oil that day. He was sitting on the pavement and he was crying. ‘What’s wrong, little boy?’ asked Lord Bao. ‘Why are you crying?’ ‘Every afternoon,’ said the boy,’ I put my head on this stone and sleep. I always put my money next to me. But today when I woke up, the money wasn’t there.’ ‘I see,’ said Lord Bao and he picked up the stone. ‘So this stone is a thief!’ He shook the stone and shouted at it: Why did you steal the boy’s money? Where is it? Come on, stone.

Answer me. Where is the boy’s money?’

When people heard this, they stopped and looked. Soon lots of people were watching, and they were all laughing. ‘Why is Lord Bao shouting at a stone?’ they asked. ‘He must be mad.’

Suddenly Lord Bao stopped and looked at the people. ‘Are you calling me mad?’ he said. ‘I am a judge, and I’m going to fine all of you for that. You must all pay a one-cent coin.’

Everybody stopped laughing. Lord Bao’s servant opened his bag. ‘Put your coins in the bag,’ said Lord Bao.

As the people put their coins in the bag. Lord Bao was watching carefully. When a man in black put his coin in the bag, the judge looked at him and said: ‘You are the thief!’ ‘But how do you know that?’ said the other people. Lord Bao carefully took the man’s coin out of the bag and showed it to the people. ‘Look,’ he said. ‘There is oil on this coin. The boy is an oil seller, so he’s always got oil on his hands. This is the boy’s coin, and that man is the thief! He stole the money while the boy was sleeping.’

The people turned to the man angrily. ‘I’ll give the money back,’ he said and he quickly gave the boy the bag of coins. ‘And you will give the boy your money, too!’ said Lord Bao. The man took some coins from his pocket, gave them to the boy and walked away.

The little boy was very happy. ‘Thank you. Lord Bao,’ he said, and then he ran home.