I ran to pick it up and
was surprised to find that it was a bag full of bright gold pieces.
I said to myself, 'This money must belong to our master, Al Mansour.
Some large bird has stolen it from his palace.'"
"Well, then," said the caliph, "why did you not return it to us at
once?" "It was this way," said the gardener: "I looked at the gold
pieces, and then thought of my own great necessities. My wife and
children were suffering from the want of food and clothing. I had no
shoes for my feet, no coat for my back. So I said to myself, 'My lord
Al Mansour is famous for his kindness to the poor. He will not care.'
So I took ten gold pieces from the many that were in the bag.
"I meant only to borrow them. And I put the bag in a safe place, saying
that as soon as I could replace the ten pieces, I would return all to
my lord Al Mansour. With much hard labor and careful management I have
saved only five little silver pieces. But, as I came to your palace
this morning, I kept saying to myself, 'When our lord Al Mansour learns
just how it was that I borrowed the gold, I have no doubt that in his
kindness of heart he will forgive me the debt.
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