18 May 2009
Honesty of a Russian Servant.
An Englishwoman who held an appointment in the Emperor’s winter palace delivered to a carrier five hundred rubles—(a ruble is about seven pence English money) to carry to her daughter, who lived at some distance. Next day the man came back to the lady, kissed her hands, and said, “Forgive me, I’m in fault; I have lost your money, I know not how, and have searched everywhere, but cannot find it. Do with me what you think proper.” The lady, who had no wish to ruin the poor fellow, put up with the loss, said nothing about the matter, and some time afterwards entirely lost sight of the man, on his removal to another part of the palace. At length, six years after the occurrence just related, he went to her one day, with joyous countenance and in the most cheerful mood, and counted out upon the table the five hundred rubles which he had lost by his carelessness. On her inquiring how he had raised such a sum, he told her he had denied himself every indulgence, and saved so much of his monthly wages, till he had at last scraped together three hundred rubles. As he had lately obtained a better situation, and higher wages, he had found himself in a condition to marry—his wife had brought him one hundred rubles and other little valuables. He had persuaded her to give up these articles, and disposed of them among his comrades; and the produce of these made up the sum, which ho now repaid, as a debt which had weighed heavily upon his mind for six years. As the honest fellow was not to be persuaded to take back his money, the English lady, whose head and heart were likewise in the right place, put the money out to interest, and made it her gift to their first child.
