Once upon a time there was a beautiful park, full of all manner of
trees and shrubs, with beds of flowers set here and there, and no end
of fruit-trees. A gardener used to take care of this park; pruning
the trees when they made too much wood, and digging the ground,
and watering the flowers in dry weather.
It happened that there was a fair to be held away in the city, and the
gardener very much wanted to go. But who would take care of the park
and garden? If his master came in and found all the flowers drooping
or dead, what would he say then! It would never do.
Meditating thus, and in doubt, he looked up into the branches of the
trees, and a bright thought struck him. I must tell you that in this
park there were not only herds of deer, and plenty of rabbits and other
creatures that usually live in parks, but there were troops of monkeys
in the trees, who climbed and chattered and cracked nuts all day long,
with no lessons to do. And when the gardener cast up his eyes to the
trees, he saw some monkeys that he knew very well indeed. Many a time
he had been kind to them; and now he thought they should do the like
by him, as one good turn deserves another.