Once upon a time there lived a landowner. He was an empty and worthless man and threw all his property down the drain. But on the other hand, he boasted beyond measure of his noble family and believed that even though he was poor, it was not fitting for him to live without a servant. And he began to look for a servant. A lot of people came to him, but no one could please him. One day a guy came to him to hire him. The landowner says to him:
“I need an honest and obedient servant.” To always tell the truth and to carry out all my orders exactly.
“Don’t doubt it, sir,” the boy answers him. “You will never find a more honest and obedient servant than me.”
One day, noble guests came to the landowner. He brought them to the upper room, sat them down at the table and shouted to the servant:
- Hey, you! Bring us a tablecloth of fine Dutch linen to cover the table!
“Well, we don’t even have them in the factory,” the servant answers. He remembered that his master told him to always tell the truth. The landowner called the servant aside and whispered to him:
- You fool! You should have said: “She’s getting wet in a tub of laundry.”
- It's my fault, sir! I'll say so next time.
The landowner decided to show himself as a hospitable host to the guests. He called the servant and said to him:
- Hey, you! Give us some cheese! And he answers:
“He’s getting wet in a tub of laundry.”
He remembered that the landowner ordered him to carry out all his orders exactly. The landowner got angry and whispered in the servant’s ear:
- You idiot! You should have said, “The rats ate him.”
- It's my fault, sir! I'll say so next time.
Then the landowner decided to show the guests that he also had wine in his cellars. He called the servant and said:
- Hey, you! Bring us a bottle of wine!
And he answers:
- The rats ate her.
The landowner almost burst with anger. He dragged the servant into the kitchen, slapped him across the face and shouted:
- Cudgel! You should have said: “I dropped it from the shelf and it broke into small pieces.”
- It's my fault, sir! I'll say so next time.
Then the landowner wanted to show the guests that his house was full of servants. He called the servant and said:
- Hey, you! Bring the cook here.
And he answers:
“I dropped it from the shelf and it broke into small pieces.”
The guests realized that the landowner was only throwing dust in their eyes. They laughed at him and went home.
And the landowner drove that guy out of the yard and from that time on he repented of looking for honest and obedient servants.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru