A MISER sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried
in a hole in the ground by the side of an old wall and went to look at
daily. One of his workmen observed his frequent visits to the spot and
decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the secret of the
hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole
it. The Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to
tear his hair and to make loud lamentations. A neighbor, seeing him
overcome with grief and learning the cause, said, “Pray do not grieve
so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that
the gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service;
for when the gold was there, you had it not, as you did not make the
slightest use of it.”