A miser sold all his possessions to buy a gold ingot which he buried at the foot of a wall.
From time to time he unearthed it and looked at it fervently.
A neighbor having seen it one day seized the treasure.
“My God!" cried out the unfortunate man. "How can I live without you?”
And he cried, and cried ever more, all the tears in his eyes. An old man of the neighborhood then came to visit him.
"Stop crying, my friend. In place of your ingot hide a stone and it will seem as if you hadn't been robbed..."
"How?" cried out the miser beside himself. "This gold is worth a fortune and your stone is worth nothing. You are no doubt mocking me."
"Not in the least," replied the wise man. "Buried what use is this gold to you. You yourself have reduced it to the state of a useless stone!"
